Semper Fi?
by TooMuchCaffine
Summary: Gibbs' loyalties are put to the test when he's torn between his beloved team and a man with whom he served in the USMC. Always faithful? I own nothing, all hail DPB! Adult themes. Tiva
1. Chapter 1

AN: Trying my hand at something a little darker. Just a warning folks. I already have a pretty good idea of where I'm going with this. By the way, I have no idea how much booze it takes to get drunk. I'm 16, and I've never touched a drop of alcohol.

* * *

Tony walked into the Green Dragon, a local bar near the Navy Yard, and searched through the crowd for his co-workers. Throughout the past few months, he'd declined numerous offers from his friends to meet for drinks after work. Now that his undercover assignment was over, he could afford the luxury of joining them.

"Tony!" Abby called, by the tone of her voice, already tipsy, "Come on, we saved you a seat!"

He found the gang at a booth, laughing and drinking happily. Ziva shoved McGee over against Abby to make room, "Nice of you to join us, Tony!" she smiled, "Next round is yours."

Taking a seat beside them, he checked the contents of his wallet, "Okay, at least its payday tomorrow." he sighed, placing a twenty on the table

McGee downed the last of his beer, "That's it for me, I don't feel too good." he groaned

"That's your first beer, Timmy. No one gets that wasted, that quick. Its improbably, if not impossible." Abby scoffed, "Besides, Gibbs is our designated driver. So _we_ can get drunk as we want!"

"You do realize I'm sitting right here Abby." Gibbs smacked her gently, "Just remember, anything you do tonight, you have to live with in the morning."

"T-G-I-F!" Tony cheered, downing his beer, spilling it down his shirt, "Ah!" he cursed, dabbing at it with napkins

Ziva chuckled, "Relax, drink a few more of those, and you will no longer care that it looks like you have wet yourself," she gestured to the yellowish wet spot on his front, "Move, I'm going to the ladies' room." she shoved him out of the booth

"I'm coming too!" Abby pushed by them, grabbing her purse, "Be back in a bit!"

"Why do women always make going to the bathroom a social event?" Gibbs asked, picking at the orange "no alcohol" bracelet the bouncer gave him

"I don't know." McGee thought out loud, "Come to think of it, I don't think I want to."

* * *

Ziva stood in line, doing the "potty dance" as Abby called it, "Why did we choose to go on a Friday? It is always crowded on Friday!" she complained, "How long does it take these women to use the restroom, honestly?"

Abby chuckled, "But if we go during the week, we have hangovers at work. This way, we have the weekend to recover. Its worth waiting an extra five minutes to take a leak."

"Easy for you to say. You have had two beers. I have had three, plus two shots of tequila!" she crossed her legs, hardly able to stand still, cursing under her breath at the sight of the line ahead of them, winding around the back wall

"You've had that much?" Abby's eyes widened, "Wow, you can really hold your liquor! Well, at least better than you can hold your-"

"Yes, Abby I get it!" she snapped

"Come on, there's a mini-mart across the street. They'll let you pee, then we can come back here, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Ziva pushed open the door, sighing in relief, "Much better. Abby? Where did you go?" she searched the small store, finding Abby at the register. At six foot three in her platforms, she was hard to miss towering above the short shelves

Abby spun around to face her, "No bathrooms without a purchase. I covered you, don't worry." she held up a CaffPow! "See? Alcohol is a depressant, and caffeine is a stimulant. Together, I can achieve equilibrium!"

"If you say so," Ziva grinned, "After you drink all of that, you will be the one hopping around in line to pee. And somehow, I do not think that your plan is going to keep you from getting tipsy."

Abby slurped down the CaffPow!, draining it in minutes. She discarded the refuse, "Come on, we'd better get back before the boys start to think we fell in!"

"Fell in what?"

* * *

Crossing the street, they noticed that most of the crowd had dissipated. Peering in through the windows, they watched the boys at the bar, apparently tormenting Gibbs.

"Poor Gibbsy, they're picking on him!" Abby pouted

"I would not be too worried. Gibbs is the only one among them who is sober, and could easily take them if he so desired." Ziva pointed out

The parking lot was nearly empty, except for their car and the barkeeper's. The place took on an eerie feeling once all the crowds were gone late in the night. A black cat walked across a dumpster, taking a moment to hiss at the women before running across the street, "Ziva, lets get inside. This is giving me the creeps. Black cats, creepy alleyways, that's enough!" Abby ran ahead

"Abby, you of all people should know better than to believe in things like that, much less be afraid of them. A black cat is just an animal, and the alley is the same at night as it is in the day." Ziva sighed, "And even so, there is no evidence that supports the supernatural. And evidence is what you believe in, yes?"

Abby turned around, "Yeah! No evidence, no creeps!" she laughed aloud, letting the effects of the alcohol show, "I mock thee, cats and alleys! No evidence, suckas!" she spun around in circles in the parking lot, gazing up, "Look at all the stars!"

Ziva stopped to look up as well. They were beautiful. Hundreds, if not thousands of them were visible, along with a brilliant full moon, "There is a full moon too, Abby!" she laughed, her speech slurring

"Now that is a creep factor. Any cop can tell you the weirdest things happen under a full moon," Abby lowered her gaze back to earth, slightly dizzy. She turned around until Ziva came into focus, "Ziva! Behind you!" she screamed

Ziva spun around, reaching for her sidearm. A man stood behind her, holding a knife, "Scream, and I slit your throat." he hissed, pulling her close, forcing her to drop her weapon. The man bent down to pick it up. Using that opportunity to her advantage, Abby kicked the man over, giving Ziva a chance to grab her backup

The man stood up, facing the girls, gun in hand. Most of his face was hidden by a hooded sweatshirt. Abby stood behind Ziva, scared but putting on a tough front. The standoff went unnoticed by the barkeeper, or his patrons. "Okay, there's two of us, one of you." Abby declared boldly, "Not good odds, buddy. I suggest you leave now."

"Not likely, toots." the man gripped his knife in the other hand tightly, "What are you, a cheerleader? Its one-on-one, plus you." Ziva held steady on her target, not wanting to risk putting Abby in jeopardy. She didn't trust her aim in her inebriation enough to risk that.

"Look," Ziva tried, "I am a federal agent. You are under arrest." she reached for the cuffs at her waist

"I don't think so." the man threw the knife, slicing into Abby through the shoulder. She cried out in pain, dropping to her knees. Ziva shot at the assailant, hitting twice in the chest.

Abby's cries of agony brought Ziva to her side. "Abby, its okay, I'm right here." she began to tend to the wound, "We need to get you to a hospital. Do not move the knife, it is slowing the bleeding." The familiar clicking of the safety on a gun made her jump, turning around, pistol in hand. She once again was face to face with the armed madman. "_Damn, he's wearing a vest!" _Ziva thought, silently cursing herself for not shooting him in the head.

"Now listen here, doll. You've got that little bitty pistol to keep you and your friend safe. At what end? She'll bleed like a stuck pig and pass out and die before this standoff ends. You come with me, and your little friend here has a shot. The longer you wait, the more she bleeds."

Ziva shifted her gaze from the armed man to her whimpering friend. Abby looked at Ziva in horror, "Don't do it Ziva! You don't know what he'll do to you!" she shook her head, her mind bringing up images of past cases; women brutally murdered, raped, and tortured, "Please, Ziva don't listen to him!"

"I do know that if I do nothing, you will bleed to death. I will not let you die, Abby." she held out her weapon in her palm, offering it to the assailant, "I have faith in you, do not let me down."

The man pocketed Ziva's backup, searching her for other weapons. Finding a knife, he confiscated that as well. Taking her handcuffs from her, he bound her wrists behind her back. Abby wept bitterly from pain, fear, and anger, "No, Ziva..." she cried, "I can't watch another friend die!"

"Neither can I Abby." Ziva sighed, following the man into the dark alley, "What are you waiting for? Go get an ambulance while you have a chance!"

Abby hobbled to her feet, woozy from the alcohol and blood loss. She ran inside, panting heavily. Upon seeing her enter, everyone stood up, a look of horror on their faces, "Gibbs! I need help!" she managed before passing out


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, I did the math. Less than one percent of those of you who read the last chapter left a review. That's not exactly encouraging, but alas, I will update anyway. Those of you who did review, I thank you, I'm hugging you all in my mind right now! Those who haven't, I'd appreciate your feedback.

* * *

McGee bolted forward, dropping to his knees quickly to catch Abby as she fell. He lay her down gently on the floor, her head in his lap, careful not to touch the knife embedded in her shoulder. Tony already had his phone out, dialing 911. The barkeeper ran from behind the counter, handing McGee towels to hold to the wound. Gibbs crouched down beside her, cradling her hand, "Hey! You awake? Stay with me, Abbs, okay? Can you tell me what happened?"

Abby slowly came to at the sound of Gibbs' voice, "Gibbs! He took Ziva!" she whispered weakly gripping his hand as tightly as her weakened state would allow

McGee whispered to her softly, "Abby, I can't understand you. Who? What happened?"

Tony slapped McGee upside the head, "No, bad McMedic! Don't encourage her. She shouldn't waste her energy." he hung up the phone, "ETA is five minutes." he patted Abby's head gently, "You're doing good Abbs, just hand on. Five minutes, okay?"

Abby nodded bleakly, "But...Ziva?" she tried, "Gibbs...he took her...Ziva..."

"She's out again, boss." McGee sighed, brushing a few loose strands of Abby's hair out of her face

"I can see that McGee." he snapped, "She said something about Ziva." he looked around. The girls had left together, but he didn't see Ziva come in, "Where the hell is she?"

"I can try her cell?" Tony offered, fishing for his phone in his pocket

They all sat quietly, waiting for any sort of explanation. Tony sighed, "Not answering. I'll try again." he stood up, pacing. He heard a strange noise coming from the booth where they'd been seated earlier. He walked toward the sound, hearing a loud buzzing. Sure enough, Ziva's phone was vibrating its way across the table. "Her phone's here."

Gibbs cursed, "Why do I make these rules if no one bothers to listen to them?!" Ziva was missing and Abby was bleeding out before his eyes. How had he let those so close to him get so far? He made those rules to protect them; to keep them from harm. So far, he'd failed.

"I...listen...Gibbs!" Abby smiled weakly

He beamed, kissing her brow, "I know, Abby. That's why you're the favorite!"

* * *

McGee hopped in the back of the ambulance, clinging to Abby's pale hand as if his life depended on it. Before the back doors shut, Gibbs told him, "Don't let her die on us, McGee! Call us when you know something!"

"I won't. And I will, boss!" he promised with as much confidence as he could muster

Gibbs sighed, turning to Tony, "He'll call us from Bethesda once he knows anything. Right now, we have to find out where the hell Ziva disappeared to."

"I tried calling her apartment too; no answer. Guess she's not home" Tony told him

"Well gee," Gibbs started sarcastically, "She was here ten minutes ago, she lives a half-hour away. How did you manage to figure that one out?"

Tony quickly stopped himself from retorting, "Well, I can tell you that she left before Abby got stabbed. She'd never leave Abby hurt like that, even if it meant putting her life on the line."

"Yeah," Gibbs knelt down in the parking lot, picking up a silver earring he recognized as Ziva's from the pool of blood from where Abby was stabbed, glistening in the moonlight, "That or someone took her."

"I'll call in an APB." Tony sighed sadly, examining the little silver ring

* * *

A bright light shone from above, blinding Abby as she awoke. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to roll onto her side to protect her eyes. The sharp throbbing pain in her shoulder restricted her movement, leaving her nearly paralyzed. She groaned, smelling the strong stench of antiseptic that told her very clearly that she was in the hospital. _Well, better than dead. I guess. Not by much._

A masked woman in turquoise scrubs stood over her. It took her a moment to realize that her patient was awake, "Woah, there!" the nurse jumped a little, "Doctor Alvarez, she's coming to! I'll go see if the OR is done prepping, we need to get her in as quick as we can."

The doctor came into view, and briefly explained to her briefly what she already knew. She'd been stabbed, and was now in the hospital. That much she'd figured out already. The doctor slipped something into a port in her IV before she could protest. Not that she had the energy to do so. "This is going to make you really sleepy, okay Abby? Its pretty strong stuff, so just relax, and once you start to feel tired, just...might knock you out..." the doctor's voice became harder to focus on, "...we'll get that out of there...hang on, okay Abby?..."

* * *

Gibbs burst into the Director's office, ignoring Cynthia's meek attempt at stopping him. She barely rose from her seat before giving up. Jen jumped at the intrusion, even though years of experience told her to anticipate Gibbs' spurious behavior. He moved to her computer, typing quickly at her keyboard without saying a word. "All I've ever asked you for is to treat my door like a door. Is that really too much to ask?" Jen sighed, "Are you going to tell me what this is about, or do you want me to guess?" she stood up, letting him commandeer her chair, "Jethro, talk to me!"

He pulled up the security footage from the bar's parking lot onto the plasma. With instruction from McGee over the phone, Tony had managed to clear up the image enough to tell the ghastly tale of what happened there tonight. The first thing they saw was the image of Ziva and Abby practically skipping across the street. The two were clearly tipsy, and not paying much attention to their surroundings. From the corner of the screen, a hooded figure approached the two women, and the standoff begun. Less that five minutes later, Abby was hobbling toward the tavern, clutching her shoulder while Ziva was lead down an alleyway in chains.

Jen's jaw dropped is disbelief, "What the hell?!" she stopped the footage, "Jethro, what the hell was that? Where are my people?" she felt the room shifting around her, blurred by her tears

Gibbs stood up, relinquishing her seat. He forced her to sit while he went to her liquor cabinet, which officially she didn't have, and poured them each a generous shot, "Tonight, while we were out at the bar, that bastard stabbed Abby and took off with Ziva. Abby's at the hospital in surgery, and we're doing everything we can do to find Ziva." he refilled her glass, which she downed in one gulp

A soft knock sounded at the door, "Director? Gibbs?" Tony asked, sensing that this was a bad time, "I think I got something. And news, did I mention news?"

Jen waved him in, trying to regain her composure, "This had better be good, Tony."

"I cleared up the image of the alley in the corner. There was a van idling in the alley, and I was able to get the first half of a Maryland license plate." he showed the enhanced image to Gibbs, "And McGee called from Bethesda. After four hours, Abby's just out of surgery and doing good. She's in post-op, resting. They'll let her have visitors come morning. BOLO's out on our van, hopefully it'll give us something." he sighed, reaching into his pocket. He held the small evidence bag, containing Ziva's missing earring. _We're coming for you, Ziva_

"That's good work, DiNozzo!" Gibbs handed him back the picture, "Did you talk to the barkeeper?"

"He said he's never seen the van before, and the guy in the footage could be anyone under that hood. McGee is coming here to drop off the knife, hopefully we can get a few prints."

"Go down to the lab, meet up with McGee and fill him in."

Jen rubbed at her temples, "Tony, before you do...here." she handed him a shot

"No thanks. Best way to find Ziva is with a clear head. I'm probably still a little tipsy, and we can't afford any mistakes." Tony had never wanted a drink so bad in his life, but he owed it to Ziva to give her his full focus

* * *

Tony followed Gibbs down the catwalk, into the bullpen. He bumped into Gibbs' back when he stopped dead in his tracks. "Something wrong boss?"

Gibbs stood there for a moment in shock, before sprinting across the bullpen to their desks. Tony followed at his heels, and realization dawned on him. He pinched himself, not sure if what he was seeing was a result of his inebriation. The image remained, and his arm stung slightly from the pinch. Ziva David sat at her desk, staring back at them, wearing nothing but scars, bruises, and a pair of handcuffs latched around one wrist. "So, are you happy to see me?" she managed with a weak smile

* * *

AN: Please review! Just a warning, the next chapter will be a little more graphic than these ones. The rating may or may not change. I haven't written chapter three, so I don't know yet...but I do know where this is going.

Tell me what you think! OOC? Too fast, too slow?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This chapter isn't too graphic, but if you're squeamish, skip the italics section; its just a flashback. I'm not a doctor or a criminalist , so I don't know how accurate any of this is, but hopefully its believable. Don't worry, I'm not killing Abby; she'll have a bigger part in the next chapter.

* * *

Tony rushed to her side, running to wrap his arms around her when Gibbs grabbed him by the shoulders, "Tony, no. Right now, she's evidence." he reminded him, "Ziva? What happened? What are you doing here? Where are your clothes?" both men looked her over up and down. Bruises covered most of her upper body in a purple tint. While it appeared that most of her injuries were minor, there was still the fact that she was a victim; though no one would ever use that word to describe Ziva David.

She curled up in her seat, pulling her knees to her chest to cover herself, "Ducky is looking for something for me to wear." she told them, trying to shield herself from their inquiring eyes, "Is Abby alright?"

Tony knew that her first priority probably wasn't her own well being. Ziva had developed a bond with the bouncy Goth in spite of their differences and rocky start, "Just out of surgery. She's at Bethesda, resting. She's gonna be fine, but its you I'm worried about right now." Tony sighed, "What the hell happened to you?" he moved to her side, lifting her chin, forcing her to look at him rather than at the floor, "Ziva?"

* * *

"_Get in." the man lowered his hood, allowing her a glimpse of his face. The man had to be at least forty with graying hair and cold dark eyes. He opened the back hatch to an old white van, shoving her unceremoniously inside, "We're going for a drive."_

_She complied, knowing that the odds were not on her side. The man had confiscated all three of her weapons. How had she allowed him to leave her so helpless? She moved near the window after the doors slammed shut, watching the scenery pass by in the moonlight._

_After driving around the city for nearly an hour, the van pulled into a run down motel. The back door swung open, bringing her face to face with the devil again. He grabbed her by her underarm, and half dragged her into one of the rooms. He locked the door before turning to her again, "Get on the bed." he ordered, removing his clothes_

_She stood still, refusing to obey. She wasn't foolish enough to say anything, only to offer silent defiance. He glared at her, "I told you to get on the bed." he told her more forcefully, trying to drag her toward it. Digging in her heels, she refused. With her wrists still bound, the odds were not in her favor. Still, she had to try. She kicked him hard between the legs, and while he was clutching his crotch in agony, she ran for the window. _

_Unfortunately, the window wasn't large enough for her to fit through. Even if it had been, it dropped down into the icy Potomac, twisting and raging rapidly below. Cursing, she ran for the door, turning her back to it so she could use her hands, still cuffed behind her. The door refused to open, the slider lock above her head keeping it shut._

_The man regained his composure quickly, "I like a girl with a little fire in her blood." he charged her, tackling her to the ground. He pinned her against the floor with one hand, the other fumbling for a syringe on the nightstand, "Hold still there,and it won't hurt. Much." _

_She felt the cold steel tip pierce into her neck, and within seconds her muscles felt weaker. Her limbs were too heavy for her, and her eyelids drooped. Her head spun, taking the room into and out of the dark repeatedly. The man pinning her down removed the needle from her neck and began to undress her, cutting the clothes away with her own knife, "That's it, don't fight it. Don't worry, I'm good to my girls."_

* * *

Ziva felt bile rising in her throat. She dropped to the floor, crawling to the trash bin by her desk. Gibbs held her hair back, "Ziva, its okay. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Not now." he soothed, hearing the soft whimpers escaping her lips between retches, "He's gone. Your safer here than just about anywhere. How's your gut? Any better now?" she nodded slightly, closing her eyes before the next wave of nausea hit

"Ziva?" a voice called, "I found you some scrubs to wear. I'm afraid they're several sizes too large for you, but I think its better than nothing." Ducky came over to her desk, holding out a pair of scrubs. He saw her hunched over, her stomach violently emptying into the garbage, "Oh, dear. Are you alright? Jethro, what happened?"

"You tell me, Ducky!" Gibbs barked, fighting the rage that was threatening to overcome his better judgment

Ducky helped Ziva into the scrubs, which fit her like a tent. "The nausea could be from anything from stress and the alcohol she consumed earlier tonight, to whatever drugs she was given illicitly. I called Bethesda, they're ready for you whenever you feel up to leaving." he helped her up, letting her lean on him, "You need go get checked over, and have some blood work done to find out what that bastard drugged you with." he turned to Gibbs, "You know as much as I do. The poor girl came in here a few minutes ago, and came down to see me. At first I thought I was hallucinating, and right now I wish I were."

Gibbs put on some gloves and picked up the trash bin, "You done with this?" he asked

She nodded, "I don't think that there is anything left." she muttered softly, embarrassed by her display of weakness, "I think my stomach is settling now."

"Good." he walked to the elevator, carrying the bucket of bile, "I'm taking this down to Abby's temp. You two take her to Bethesda, I'll meet you there." Tony and Ducky nodded in agreement. Ziva opened her mouth to protest, but a glare from her boss told her to hold her tongue.

Tony stood by quietly, trying to force mental images of what may have happened to her out of his head. He didn't want to think about what she may have been through in the past few hours. Ziva touched his shoulder, "Tony? Are you alright? You are very quiet, and seem distant."

He smiled, "Yeah, fine. Come on, let's get you checked out." he gently led her to the elevator, Ducky following close behind, "Hey, Ziva?" Tony asked

"Yes?" she had expected them to have a lot of questions, and hoped that she could provide the answers. She just prayed that there were some questions they didn't voice.

"How'd you get past security dressed, or rather _not _dressed, like that, drunk in the middle of the night?" he asked, the image of her sitting at her desk in the nude still fresh in his mind. The image was frightening, arousing, and sickening all at once.

She smiled, "Hank, our new security guard, was very confused for a moment, but let me in when I threatened to kill him if he did not quit starring at me." she explained, "I could easily take him down without clothes, or weapons."

"Of course you can..." _Remind me never to piss her off_

* * *

Ziva took a seat quietly in the waiting room with Tony while Ducky got her checked in. The two sat in comfortable silence until a nurse called her back. She insisted that she could go alone, and did not need to be accompanied. Tony knew there was no changing her mind once she had it set on something.

Gibbs showed up soon after they took Ziva back to be checked out, the Director in toe. He was obviously agitated, and neither Ducky or Tony dared say a word to him at first. Tony finally stood up, "I'm going to get some coffee, do you want some?"

Ducky refused, sitting there in a depressed haze. He looked as though he had aged twenty years tonight. Gibbs accepted, never needing coffee so bad in his life. Two women whom they all cared deeply for were hurt and scared, lying in hospital beds. All because of one bastard whom they couldn't even identify.

Tony returned with the swill that was hospital cafeteria coffee. Gibbs drained it, for once not caring about his caffeine.

A half hour later, a nurse came from down the hall, "Are you here for Miss David?" she asked

"Its pronounced 'Dav-eed', but yes. We are." Ducky corrected kindly

"Well, things aren't going quite as smoothly as we'd hoped." the nurses words sent chills up their spines, making them fear the worst. She continued, "She isn't exactly cooperating..."

The fear enticed by her previous statement faded, and the group smiled, exchanging glances. At least that meant that at least psychologically, this was the Ziva they knew showing through. Not a victim; Ziva. Not some scared, traumatized victim; their Ziva. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Jen sighed, "I'm guessing you want one of us to talk to her?"

The nurse smiled, "Would you? She let us take some blood when we put an IV in; she was a bit dehydrated, but that should resolve quickly. The blood's been sent to the lab. But she has made it clear she doesn't want an SAE performed. I know the poor thing's been through hell tonight, but we need to get her checked out. If not for her health, to make sure that whoever did this can be persecuted."

"Don't you mean 'prosecuted'?" Tony asked

The nurse shook her head, "Nope, persecuted works just fine for me. I told her its no worse than a pap smear, sometimes a little worse if there's any bruising, but she still isn't real thrilled about it. I can't blame her, but still..."

Ducky smiled, "I may be able to talk her into consenting to it." he offered, "Sometimes comfort can be more persuasive than mere reasoning."

"True. Ma'am?" she addressed Jen, "Do you want to go back with us? Sometimes this sort of thing is easier to talk to women about, and she might like to have a friend back there with her."

Jen stood up and followed them back, "I'd be more than happy to."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Okay, this one's a little shorter, but the next one's almost twice as long, so bear with me. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews guys! I'm writing these instead of reading the Great Gatsby, but at some point I probably should get on that...the next few updates probably won't be this quick.

* * *

"Miss David?"another nurse poked her head in, "We need to get a urine sample from you, if that's okay." she handed her a small plastic canister with her name on it, "There's a bathroom right down the hall, once you have it, give it to either me or one of the nurses over there at the station."

Ziva nodded, not thrilled about peeing in a jar, but as far as she was concerned, this was one of the least degrading things she'd been through today. She walked down the hall, pushing the IV stand along with her. She kept one hand behind her, holding the back of her gown shut, protecting her backside from straying eyes.

She wandered the halls, peeking in windows as she went. Abby was likely still in this trauma ward somewhere, resting. A nurse stopped her after a few windows, "Miss, can I help you find something?"

"Oh, I'm just looking for a bathroom," she held up the empty cup, "See?"

"Um, I think you just passed one, across from the pharmacy there." he gestured, "On your left going back." he was trying to be helpful, and she had nothing against him personally, but he stood between her and her goal. Not a safe place to be.

"Thank you, I will take care of this." _Damn it! _She darted into the bathroom and peeked out, watching and waiting for him to turn the counter before exiting again. She darted back in after a moment when her nurse passed by. _This could take a while..._

Finally, she slipped out unnoticed. Cautiously, she peered in the windows, continuing her search. She came to a stop at the end of the corridor. She almost didn't recognize her friend; the makeup she normally wore had been cleaned off, and her hair was taken down from its characteristic pigtails. She almost didn't look like Abby anymore.

She slipped in quietly, lingering in the shadows to avoid detection. Abby was either sleeping or unconscious. She couldn't tell which. She moved to a nearby cart, searching through drawers. She found a handful of simple rubber bands and moved to sit near Abby's bed, "Hello, Abby." she smiled, combing her fingers through Abby's short raven hair, "Let's see what we can do about this, hm?" she pulled her hair up into high pigtails and braided them, "There we go, much better now, yes?"

She leaned back in the chair, noticing that McGee had left his jacket over the back of the chair. He had left only a little while ago, and probably forgot it. She smiled, the patch which Abby had cut out of it was still visible on the sleeve, "He love you, you know this, yes? Otherwise he would have never forgiven you for that." she picked up the jacket, placing it around Abby's shoulders, "I will come back to visit you in a little while, but I should probably leave now. Otherwise they may notice that I have-"

"Miss David?" a stern voice called from the doorway, "Out. Now. The bathroom is down the hall, and I will be waiting outside the door this time, and will walk you to your room afterwards, in case you get lost again."

_Damn it! _She reluctantly relinquished her seat, following the nurse out the door, "Will you at least tell me once she wakes up?" she asked hopefully, being led down the corridor by her IV stand

The nurse nodded, leading her along, "I'll see what I can do."

Ziva took this in, "I'll just be a minute." she closed the door, locking it behind her. She looked around trying to find something to kill. The only victim she could procure was the metal trash bin near the door. She kicked it hard, fast, and repeatedly. _Damn, damn, damn! How can they be that cold? I cannot see her? Why not, I'm already here?_

"Miss? Everything okay in there?" the nurse called

"Yes, just trying to relax a little. Its hard to pee on command!"

"Try to do it without destroying hospital property, please."

After handing over the sample, the nurse walked her back to her room, "Now stay in your room please, or I will have to sedate you." she cautioned, "I don't want to, but I will!"

* * *

Voices around her blended together, creating a white noise of confusion. She tried to move, or open her eyes, but found it much easier just to lie there. "Miss Scuitto? Are you awake in there?" a voice called

She somehow managed to lift her eyelids, "Yeah, if you can call it that." she looked around her room. It was still dark, with the exception of a little light from a street lamp outside. The nurse flipped on the lights, blinding her, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" she groaned, shielding her sore eyes with a pillow, "Oh, man...that's bright..."

The nurse shut off the lights, "Sorry about that," she didn't sound too sorry though, "How are you feeling?" Abby hated how they always asked that

"Well, it kinda feels like I just got stabbed." the nurse rolled her eyes, using a flashlight to check her bandages, "Sorry."

"Everything looks good. Some of your friends stopped by, including an NCIS agent and an escapee from trauma. She was supposed to be giving a urine sample, but snuck off to see you first." she smiled, "Xena, or something foreign like that. She said to tell her when you woke up. She put your hair up in these hideous braids..." Abby reached up to feel her hair, which now hung around her shoulders limply.

She sighed, "Yeah, why would anyone want _braids_...Will you go tell her I'm up? I want to see her. Wait, you said she escaped from trauma?" she felt her heart beating faster and faster, "Is she okay?"

"Yes, a rape victim. She's here with NCIS." the nurse explained changing the bandages, "You need to get some rest now, and I'll track down your friend." she gave her some medication through her IV, "I'll be in to check on you in a little while."

_Rape? Ziva? That can't be...No, it must be a mistake...Maybe some other foreign woman came in my room, while I was sleeping, braided my hair, and- okay, even I know that sounds stupid. _She felt tears running down her cheeks. She lay back, hugging her pillow tightly. She looked over at the nightstand, and found a familiar friend, "Bert!" she cried happily,clutching him to her, "Bert, is it true? Is she okay?"

The creature responded the only way it knew how: emitting a loud fart.

Abby sighed, cradling Bert close, "You know, lying doesn't help make me feel better. I'd rather you be honest and upset me than lie to protect me."


	5. Chapter 5

Ducky knocked softly on the door, "Ziva? Are you decent?"

"You may come in, but 'decent' is a relative term." she told him with a grin. 'Decent' wasn't a term most people would use to describe her.

He smiled, taking a seat beside her bed. She sat up quietly, picking at the tape near her IV, "I hate these," she sighed, "They itch, the tape pulls out those tiny hairs on your arm, and it keeps you from doing anything or going anywhere."

"They aren't that restrictive, Ziva," the nurse assured her, handing her a paper cup full of water and a pill, "You just happen to be stubborn. Here's the morning after pill, drink all of that water with it, okay? I don't suppose you've changed your mind about the exam..."

Ziva swallowed the pill, "No. I do not want anyone prodding around down there. Not now, not ever." she handed the nurse the empty cup, "What good will it do? Less than half of rapists who are arrested are brought to trial, and even fewer are convicted. And that's assuming that he will be found." she didn't sound very optimistic, but no one could blame her for her pessimism.

Jen sat next to her friend on the bed, "I know its not fair, and okay, let's assume there's a ten percent chance he'll go to prison. That's better than a zero percent chance if you don't, right?"

Ziva gave a neutral shrug. Ducky smiled, "She's right, dear. If nothing else, it will help Abigail." Ziva looked up at the mention of Abby's name, "If he is convicted of attacking her, he will be sent to prison. But if he is also doing added time for what he did to you, the kidnapping charge alone is a few years, he will not see daylight for a very long time. That way, neither of you girls will have to see him ever again after the trial." Ducky held her hands in his, rubbing the back of her hand, trying to comfort her, "That way he can never hurt you or anyone else again."

She considered this. She knew that Abby would want to see him locked away, and she could help her do that. She could keep from harming anyone else. She took a deep breath, "I will do it, but I will not like it."

"No one said you had to like it, Ziva," Jen told her, "It won't be that bad, though. If you want, Ducky and I will stay in here with you?" she offered, "And if you ask, I'm sure your doctor can give you some very nice drugs, so you won't even feel it."

Ziva took a moment to think, starring off across the room. A night out with her friends was all she'd asked for. She never wanted to watch a friend hurt, be abducted, be sent to a hospital...where did it all go wrong? What had she done to deserve this? She didn't go to synagogue, was that so wrong? All the people she'd killed? Philly cheesesteaks aren't kosher, was that it? Tears unwittingly began to form in her eyes, making her shut them tightly. _No, I will not cry...Why didn't I stop him sooner?_

The nurse came over, noticing her increasing heart rate, "Are you okay?" she placed a hand on Ziva's shoulder, "Are you in any pain, honey? Can I get you something?"

She shook her head, "No, and I do not need help!" she snapped, remembering the cold sharp needle in her neck, "I am sorry, I know you are only trying to make me feel better."

"They will not give you anything without your consent," Ducky assured her

"Besides, there isn't much we can give you anyway until the lab tells us what you have in your system. Do you have that sample for me?" she asked. Ziva handed her a canister filled with yellow liquid, "Thank you, we'll get this checked for you, and I'll send in the doctor to do the exam, alright?" she left the room quietly

Ducky took his cell phone out of his pocket, and began to fiddle with it, "I remember when computers were bigger than this room. Now you can use the Internet from a phone small enough to fit in your palm. It makes you wonder what the future has in store, doesn't it?" he smiled at the girls, "Here is a basic summary of the procedure, Ziva. In case you were curious..." he handed her the phone, letting her read the web page he'd found.

After reading a few sentences, she closed the phone and returned it to Ducky, "I do not want to read anymore, thank you though, Ducky." she shuddered at the mental image of what was about to happen

"Ziva, its not worse that getting a pap smear done!" Jen tried to reassure her, "You've had one of those before, right?"

Ziva sighed, "That's not really the point. I have had one done, but never when I am bruised and sore there! And that was only because I had to, not because I decided it would be fun. No one wakes up and thinks to themselves, 'I'm going to have someone I have never met before force open my vaginal walls with a medieval looking instrument, and poke around today!'" she could here Ducky and Jen snickering and blushed slightly, "You see my point, yes?" she sighed

Jen couldn't really argue with her on that one. No, she hadn't thought of that, but Ziva sure had a way of putting thing in perspective, "Okay, I understand that. But just relax a little, and it will be over before you know it." she was still trying to stifle her giggles, not wanting to make light of the situation, "They say laughter helps you relax, I'm sure Tony would be more than happy to come in here and make you smile?"

Ducky shook his head, "While I'm sure he'd be more than happy to come and comfort you, and his heart is in the right place, I don't think you want him in here right now. And not just because of his off color jokes that he would undoubtedly be making. He and Jethro are out in the waiting room, brooding and planning horrible ways of murdering the bastard who did this to you and Abby. I don't think you need to worry about a jury convicting him, because I'm sure that he won't live that long. Jethro and Anthony would gladly testify that he was acting suspicious and looked as though he had a firearm..." Ziva smiled, knowing that her team cared about her. She could picture Tony and Gibbs out there plotting to kill the bastard, perhaps doodling pictures of it out in the waiting room

Jen gave him a warning glance, "Ducky? Planning to murder a suspect, however tempting it is, is still illegal. I want the bastard dead too, but let's try the legal way first, shall we?"

Ducky pouted a little, clearly disappointed, "I _could_ falsify an autopsy report..." he offered. Ziva laughed. Ducky and Jen were like the angel and demon on her shoulders, trying to sway her thoughts and actions in cartoons.

"In my country, we do things a little differently." Ziva told them, "Rape is quite common, but rarely is any legal action taken. Especially in some Arabic communities where women are suppressed, and fearful of men."

"How do they handle it then?" Ducky asked, not sure if he wanted to know

"My sister and I were taken from our school when we were young. I honestly do not remember much about it, it was a long time ago, but my father castrated the men who took us with his knife, before slitting their throats." she remembered Ari telling her about it once she was old enough, "My brother told me that Mossad threw out the case filed from their families against my father, and those men officially never existed."

"I don't think that's how they handle things routinely, Ziva." Jen said, "Its what they deserved, but still a little extreme."

The nurse came back in, chart in hand, "Your tests are back; your blood alcohol level is currently point zero one, so its almost all out of your system. We also found Benadryl in your system. The combination of that and the alcohol probably knocked you out. Do you know if you ingested it, or-"

Ziva brushed her hair aside, showing the nurse where the needle entered the side of her neck, "Here. He used a needle." the nurse took a look, cleaning the area just to be safe

"Isn't Benadryl an allergy medication?" Jen asked, carefully examining the needle mark on Ziva's neck

"Yes, it is an anti-histamine used for allergies, but its side effects of drowsiness and dizziness makes it also commonly used for sedation," Ducky explained, "It is cheap, effective, relatively safe to use, and widely available. It can be obtained over the counter generically. That would also explain your dehydration."

A knock sounded at the door, heralding the entry of the doctor. He was an older man, in his sixties at least, who looked like he could use a drink, "Alright here...Ziva?" he looked to her for confirmation, "I'm Andrew Katz. Let's see..." he swiped the chart from the nurse, who scowled at him. He rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Another one? Fourth rape case tonight...I don't know if its the full moon, or just lack of morality, but I'm sick of seeing this happen." he was wringing out a stress ball in his hands

"Do you want us to wait outside?" Ducky asked, "If you'd like some privacy, we'll go."

"No, it is alright if you stay." her need for companionship was greater than her desire for privacy at the moment

"Okay," he tossed the stress ball to Ziva, "I love these things, gives you something to take it out on. Plus, women were always complaining about having yet another gynecologist with cold hands before I got that thing. Keeps the blood flowin'. Did Karen explain it to you already?" she nodded, "You ready?" she took a minute, but nodded again, "Alright then, let's get it over with, shall we? Lie on back for me, and make yourself comfy."

Jen and Ducky moved away from the foot of the bed to give her a little more privacy. Ducky tucked the blankets around her, "It will be over before you know it, I promise." he kept a hold on her hand while the doctor washed up

"Okay, do you want something to help you relax a little first? Maybe help ease the pain?" he offered

Ziva continued to squeeze the little stress ball, taking her frustration, anger, and fears out on the little piece of foam. While she didn't want to be drugged, she also didn't want to deal with any of this. Jen sat down beside her, and whispered in her ear, "_We won't hold it against you, Ziva. And we won't tell a soul if you want to take something. No one will think any less of you for it. Nothing you say or do leaves this room."_

She looked to Ducky, who pinched his fingers together and made a zipping motion across his lips. Turning to the doctor, she nodded, letting him empty a vial of some strange substance into her veins, "This will start to work in about a minute or so. This stuff works wonders, you won't feel a thing, I promise. It might make you fall asleep, especially if you were tired to begin with, but it wears off within an hour or two." he discarded the empty vial, "So...see any good movies lately?"

Doctors always had a seemingly endless supply of small talk topics at their disposal. "Tony, my partner, made me watch this stupid movie last week. Something called _Moonraker_? He is obsessed with James Bond movies...any kind of movie really, but James Bond ones especially, and he has now made me see all of them. This one was a travesty; the gondola turned into a hovercraft! It was so pointless...I think I fell asleep half-way through..." she could feel the medication start to take effect, making her feel woozy and warm. It wasn't a bad feeling, "He gave me a complete summary after I woke up...he didn't want me to miss anything...he is a bit of a nuisance...but he meant well..."she closed her eyes, hoping the room would stop spinning. The last thing she remembered was Ducky kissing her cheek, wishing her sweet dreams


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews and ideas! Just letting you know, I'm updating as fast as I can, so _**quit asking me to update faster!! **_... Okay, I'm calm now... : )

* * *

The alarm on Tony's watch sounded, signaling that it was now seven in the morning. Visiting hours had officially begun, and they were now free to visit. Gibbs stood up and stretched, "I think they're still busy with Ziva," he nodded in the direction of Ziva's room down the hall, "Let's pop in and see Abby first."

Tony nodded, following him down the hall. They were stopped outside her room by a nurse, "Excuse me, are you family?" she asked

"Yeah," Gibbs told her, "I'm her father, and this is my son. We're here to see Abby." the nurse looked at them, eying them carefully. They didn't look related, with the exception being Gibbs and Abby's matching eyes, "Can we go in?"

"I suppose, but don't be too long," she opened the door, inviting them in, "She needs her rest, but insists on being able to leave to visit her friend down in the trauma ward. I told her she can visit later, but for now, she needs to stay in bed. She wasn't too happy about that."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Gibbs grinned

"Because you're Gibbs," Abby smiled, reclining lazily in bed, "Nothing surprises you!" she opening her arms to Tony, or at least the one she had use of.

Tony squeezed her gently, "Hey, Abbs," he tousled her hair, "How are you doing?"

Abby watched and waited for the nurse to leave the room, and get out of eavesdropping range before she spoke, "It sucks in here, Tony!" she complained, "The nurses took out my pigtails, called my braids 'hideous', they wouldn't let Ziva and I see each other, all they told me was that she was raped! That's all they told me, and then just expected me to go to sleep, and live with it!"

McGee, sitting in one of the chairs near Abby's bedside finally spoke up, his eyes wide with horror, "That's what happened?! Oh my God...is she okay? I mean, not that anyone who's been through that is really 'okay' but-"

"Quit while you're ahead McCharisma," Tony cautioned, "She hears you talking about her like that, she'll kill you." Ziva would never allow herself to be grouped together with other victims. It wasn't fair to make generalizations.

Gibbs sat down next to her on the bed, "Hey, she's alright Abbs," he assured her, trying to calm her down a little, "Jen and Ducky are in with her right now, and keeping her company. Its gonna be alright, Abbs. Your temp is working on the evidence, and we'll have something to go on soon. Until then, there's not much we can do." as much as he hated it, for the moment there wasn't much that could be done, "Once she's awake and up to it, Ziva'll talk to a sketch artist, and we can see what else we can get on this bastard."

"Gibbs, let me tell you something about temps." Abby spoke with an eerie calm, sitting up slowly, "They are the monkeys rejected by laboratories for being too stupid to be compared to humans! They are pseudo-pseudo-scientists! Not like Bigfoot hunters are pseudo-scientists, but they are psuedo-scientists in that they're like cuckoos, invading the nest of a real scientist, and destroying everything they've worked so hard to achieve, and using it for their own personal gain!" she finally stopped to take a breath, "Wow, I don't feel too good..."

Gibbs helped her lie back, "Your temp isn't a monkey," he assured her, fighting the urge to smile, "The Director called for a temp from the Baltimore Police force, Tony knows him. Right DiNozzo?" he looked at Tony with a glare that said, 'tell her what she wants to hear!'

"Well...yeah, he kinda is a monkey. Big ears, tiny head. Kinda looks like Senator Obama?" he made her grin a little, " He is, however, one of the smartest guys I know, in spite of his tiny head, and will not go _Cuckoo's Nest _on your lab. You know...in that movie, they did overthrow the nursing staff..."

"Anthony, do not give the girl any more ideas. She's perfectly capable of plotting the demise of her foes without your help." Ducky scolded, standing in the doorway, "Now, why don't you let Abby get some rest? I'm sure that you must be exhausted, and after having had surgery last night, its probably best that you get some sleep." he walked up to her, kissing her cheek, "Feeling any better this morning dear?"

Abby protested, "I'm not tired..." she yawned. The looks the others gave her told her that there was no room for argument. "Fine. I'll go back, but I won't sleep, and I won't enjoy it!" she closed her eyes and drifted off

Gibbs patted her cheek gently to make sure she was sound asleep before moving off her bed, "I think she's gonna be alright." he had been a little worried that this whole ordeal would leave Abby frightened, traumatized, or feeling helpless. Seeing her now, he realized that his fears were largely unfounded. If she were having difficulties coping with it, she was hiding it well.

"Yes," Ducky rubbed at his eyes tiredly, "I don't think that Abby will have too much trouble readjusting. However, I would keep a close eye on her. Considering the amount of suffering she, Ziva, and the rest of us have been through at the hands of this sadistic man, if she were to get her hands on this bastard..." he trailed off, leaving it to their imaginations

"Who said I won't let her?" Gibbs asked seriously

"I'll help!" Tony offered

"Me too!" McGee pipped in, "Well, as much as I can without implicating myself or others, but yeah!"

Gibbs smiled, never prouder of his team.

* * *

Tony knocked gently on the door, poking his head into Ziva's room, "Hey? Can we come in?" he whispered, seeing that Ziva was sound asleep

Jen nodded, still holding vigil at her friend's bedside, "Yes, she's resting now." she gestured to Ziva's sleeping form, "She'll be out a little while longer."

Tony walked in, Gibbs following closely. Tony sat down on the edge of her bed, picking up her hand, "Hey, Ziva!" he smiled, "How ya doing?"

Gibbs took a vacant seat next to Ducky and Jen, "How'd she seem?"

"Well, psychologically speaking, the girl is quite a wreck. I think she blames herself for what happened. She feels as though she could have, if not should have prevented this before it escalated to this level," he sighed, "The poor girl is traumatized, but she would never admit to such a thing. She is too strong and too stubborn for that." Ducky explained

Tony carefully tousled Ziva's hair, "You're not gonna smile for me, are you?" he murmured. He was a little concerned that she didn't react to him touching her, "Ducky? Did they drug her or something?"

Ducky hesitated for a moment, remembering his promise to Ziva earlier, "Yes, she kept trying to sneak off, probably to go visit Abby. The nurse told me that while she was supposed to be procuring a urine sample, she wandered off to Abigail's room down in the ICU." he wasn't lying per se, just omitting certain truths.

Jen groaned as her cell phone began to ring in her pocket, "Its eight in the morning on a Saturday," she complained, "Who would be calling at a time like this?" the caller ID on her phone displayed "SecNav" on the display. She rolled her eyes, "I should probably go take this. Stay with her?"

The others nodded, happy to keep Ziva company. She looked very peaceful, occasionally shifting a little to make herself comfortable before settling into a deeper sleep. Ducky watched over her quietly. For once, he was lost for words. _How was it that people manage to cause each other so much pain?_ "Ziva, if you can hear me, I want you to know that you are one of the strongest people that it has ever been my pleasure to meet. And if there is anything I can do to help you through this ordeal, I would gladly do just about anything."

Tony smiled, whispering in Ziva's ear, "We can make it look like an accident..." he tempted, "Between Gibbs and me, the McGeek and Abby, and Ducky, I'm sure we can come up with something convincing..." the corners of Ziva's mouth curled into a small smile, "See?" he turned to Gibbs, "She's good with it!"

Ziva opened her eyes, blinking a few times to get the room to stop spinning, "What happened?" she mumbled, barely able to stay awake. She tried to sit up, but Gibbs forced her down

"No," he told her firmly, "You stay there and rest until whatever they doped you with is out of your system enough that you won't fall out of bed." he didn't want to see anymore misfortune fall on his team. Not now, not ever.

Ducky nodded in agreement, "I concur, dear. You're still a little weary from the drugs, which is to be expected, and we don't want anymore surprises, do we?" he pulled up the rails on the side of her bed, just in case, "As much as I hate to leave in a time of crisis, my mother will begin to worry if I am not home soon, and I need to make sure that the evidence from this crime is sent to the lab properly." he grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, "If anything changes, let me know." he kissed Ziva's cheek, "I will come back soon to visit you, I promise."

She rolled her eyes, "Gibbs, I am alright, just a little tired." she insisted, "Give me a moment to clear my head..."

"Well, tired or not, you're staying in bed." Tony wrapped her up in his arms. She tensed at first, but he soon felt her relax a little in his embrace, "That's from Abby." he told her. _And me. _He added mentally

Jen poked her head back in the doorway, "Jethro? I need you to come back to NCIS with me. The SecNav may have information for us regarding this case."

Gibbs bolted up to follow her out the door, but stopped at the doorway. He turned back, gazing at Ziva's semi-conscious form. He moved to her bedside, "We'll get this bastard, I promise." he pecked her on the forehead, "Tony, stay with her!" he ordered

Tony gave a salute, "Can do, boss!"

* * *

AN: I know, this chapter was a little pointless...Don't worry, the case will pick up soon! Next chapter, all hell commences breaking loose!


	7. Chapter 7

"Jethro, the SecNav said that there were numerous reports of a man acting suspiciously at that bar for a few weeks," Jen told him en route to NCIS, "Apparently, they weren't considered to be serious concerns, but the Navy was informed that a Marine was hanging around the Navy bar, stirring up problems. Mostly starting arguments, harassing people, but nothing serious. No name, but they do have a general description, and witnesses are working on a sketch as we speak."

"They think this might be our guy?" he asked hopefully

"Maybe," she said, turning into the Navy yard, "If nothing else, he's a regular at that bar, and might know who it is we're looking for."

"How'd they know he's a Marine?" he wondered outloud

"Jethro, you're the one who says Navy stands for 'Never Again Volunteer Yourself'," she chuckled, "Marines and Navy personnel are born to compete. Trust me, the Navy officers who reported him will know a Marine when they see one."

* * *

Tony lazily opened his eyes, not even realizing he had fallen asleep. He looked around, reacquainting himself with Ziva's hospital room. Gazing at the empty chairs, it occurred to him that he was in her bed. Worried, he tried to get up and move away, _Oh, Gibbs is gonna kill me..._But he felt a warm body pressed against him. Ziva lay sleeping, her head flopped over onto his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his torso, holding him tightly. Her brow furrowed, and she made soft moans and whimpers, her body shaking slightly.

"Hey, Ziva?" he whispered, stroking her cheek, "You're safe now, I've got you..." she began to settle down a bit, the shaking slowly becoming less noticeable. Her nightmare ended, returning to more peaceful thoughts. She didn't stir, only leaning into him more, making herself feel safe. "Okay...this is weird..." _Why am I complaining? If she wants to cuddle, so be it!_

It felt comfortable, but very awkward. He wasn't used to seeing her so vulnerable, so frightened. He felt anger rise within him when he thought of what that bastard had done to her. If nothing else, he took away her pride, her dignity. The one thing she thought she would always have. He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling the soft strands, "It'll be okay, I promise...I won't let anything happen to you; not now, not ever." he soothed

"She trusts you, you know," a man told him, standing near the door, "Otherwise, she would not allow you to see her, much less touch her when she was feeling so vulnerable." the white haired man took a seat beside Ziva's bed, "_Boker tov, _Ziva..." he gently patted her cheek, waking her from her slumber

"Michal?" she murmured sleepily, trying to force herself up off of Tony's chest. She was still tired enough and weak enough that she gave up, instead continuing to rest in the sanctuary of Tony's arms, "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?" Tony asked, instinctively drawing Ziva in closer

"I am Officer Bashan, of the Mossad," he introduced himself, "Director David informed me that you were admitted to Bethesda last night, and sent me to find out why."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "My father does not care why I am here, he only wants to keep me on a short leash. Michal, you and I both know that there is more to it than that."

"Well, yes." Michal sighed, "I spoke with your doctor, please tell me he is wrong. That it is not true." he looked at her pleadingly, already knowing the answer

"That would depend on what he told you, I suppose." she replied coolly

Tony spoke up, "Look, NCIS is working on this case, not Mossad."

"You misunderstand my motives, Agent DiNozzo." Bashan told him, "I have no intention of arresting the man who raped her." Tony felt his shields go up, and he reached for his sidearm, "I will do everything within my power to see to it that this man dies a most painful death."

"Michal, you may not murder a man based on whim." Ziva told him, finally mustering the strength to sit up, "I am sure that NCIS could use whatever resources you have to help in this case, but do not get yourself arrested, please?" she wanted revenge as much as anyone, but biblical justice was not a rational option here

"Ziva," he wrapped his arms around her, "I've known you since you were just a bump in your mother's belly. I will not allow the man who did this to you and your friend to get away. I am an old man, I've lived out my days longer than I thought possible. Whatever they do to me, I will accept with dignity if it means that you and your friend will be avenged."

Tony took out his phone, dialing a number he knew by heart, "There's someone you might want to talk to..."

* * *

"Tell me you have something!" Gibbs marched into Abby's lab. It felt so wrong to be in here now. The lab was filled with classical music, and all the lights were turned on. The place felt so tainted. The sooner Abby was back, the better.

"Um, yes Special Agent Gibbs," the temp flipped through casefiles, "Let me see...which case was that?"

Gibbs fought the urge to pull the man up by his collar, and strangle him, "The one that left half my team in the hospital! The one that's the reason we have you here, instead of Abby!"

"Okay," he handed Gibbs a folder, "The rape kit was positive, but there was no DNA. A few hairs, but no skin tags. He must have used a condom, because there were traces of spermicide." he held up the knife in a plastic evidence bag, "I got two prints off the knife; one was Abby's, the other is running through every database I can think of. The moment I know, you'll know."

Gibbs walked out, angry that the had so little to go on. He flipped the emergency brake on. Once the lift came to a halt, he screamed out loud, kicking the metal interior repeatedly. His outburst did nothing to reduce his rage, only causing several dents in the paneling.

His phone in his pocket began to wring. The caller ID told him Tony was calling, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"_Special Agent Gibbs? I wish to be of help in your investigation." _a calm accented voice told him, "_I am Officer Bashan of the Mossad, and I will be more than happy to offer my services in helping you bring this man to...well, I gave up on justice a long time ago."_

Gibbs smiled, "Officer Bashan, can I talk to Ziva for a sec?"

"_Of course,"_ he handed her the phone, "_It is your boss."_

"_Gibbs?" _Ziva asked. Her voice showed her fatigue and stress, "_Is everything alright?"_

"If I get Mossad involved, are they gonna play by Israel's rules, or our rules?" he asked her. As much as he wanted to do everything he could to end this, and he knew Mossad probably do anything for Ziva, he didn't want to lose this case over technicalities.

"_Gibbs, you are not getting Mossad involved. You are getting Michal involved. Just as I know that NCIS is not handling this as much as you personally are." _she was worried that he might take the law into his own hands, and jeopardize his life, his career, and his sanity over this. "_He wants that man dead just as much as you do. While he is a capable investigator, he is not interested in following conduct. He is out for blood." _

"So you think he's just out to kill him, not arrest him?" he asked Ziva, "We'll try our way first, but give him my number, Ziva."

He hung up the phone. At least he knew they weren't alone in this fight. He flipped the switch, bringing the elevator back to life. Upon reaching the top of the shaft, he felt surprisingly better. He was met by Director Shepard when the doors opened, "Morning, Jen."

"Jethro, I'm taking your team off the case." she told him, bracing herself for the fight that was sure to ensue

"You're _what_?" he asked incredulously, "Jen, you can't do that!"

"The hell I can't." she told him, having to be the voice of reason for him, "Look, I know you would love nothing more than to watch this man go down, but you're too involved in this personally. The case would get thrown out of court before it got there." she maintained eye contact, in spite of the painfully cold glare she was receiving, "How would you feel he got off?" she tried to appeal to his rational side, which was rapidly losing ground

He didn't respond at first, just staring at her with pure fury, "I won't let him."

"You're involved in this more than you know. Paul Newman found a match." she told him

"Who?! Paul Newman? The actor?" he asked, suddenly very confused

"Abby's temp, who you've managed to terrify out of his witts already. He asked me to give you these results so you wouldn't kill him." she smiled slightly, handing him the file, "Recognize him?"

Gibbs starred blankly at the face of a man he thought he'd never see again. "Yeah, he was my buddy back in Desert Storm..."

* * *

AN: I come from a Marine family, so picking on the Navy is in my blood : ). No offense intended to any readers in the Navy, I support our troops, regardless of what military branch. Review please!


	8. Chapter 8

AN: A bit of a short chapter, but I think you'll enjoy it. Please read and review!

* * *

"Let's see," McGee pulled up the casefile on the plasma, "Staff Sergeant Wesley Mason, age 45. Veteran of Desert Storm, where he received a Purple Heart in '92 after-"

"I know, McGee!" Gibbs snapped, throwing his empty coffee cup into the trash bin, "I was there, remember?" he paced the bullpen like a caged animal, "Why the hell does any of this matter?" he gestured to the screen, "Jen took us off the case!"

McGee looked at the picture of the Marine up on the plasma. He had proudly served his country, fighting alongside Gibbs in Afghanistan. According to his profile, he had a wife and three sons. He wasn't the type you would expect to be capable of such evils. "Boss, are we sure this is even our guy? I mean, the only evidence we have linking him to the case is a fingerprint on a knife. For all we know, he lost his knife, or it got stolen, right?"

Gibbs sat down at his desk, "McGee, you keep on telling yourself that. Once you start thinking 'hey, maybe he's innocent', there's no going back. If you don't trust the evidence, you don't trust yourself." he looked at his former comrade's picture, "I don't want to believe it either, McGee, but its not our job to make the evidence say what we want it to."

Jimmy Palmer came running down the stairs from the Director's office, nervously rubbing his hands together, "Special Agent Gibbs?" he asked timidly, "Um, the Director needs to see you, its kind of urgent."

"Palmer, you said it was urgent when there was a spider in the urinal last week," Gibbs sighed, "Define 'urgent'?" he remembered the look on the young man's face, running screaming from the head. At first, he thought that Ziva had decided to pay another visit to the men's restroom, and was on the warpath. But the entire episode of panic was over a spider less than an inch long

The young ME assistant turned red in the ears and cheeks, "That was different, it was a Black Widow! It was a male one, which is all but harmless, but it was still a Black Widow!" her justified, "However, I didn't say it was urgent, she did."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows, and made his way upstairs. He didn't bother knocking, as usual. "She's expecting you. For once." Cynthia told him with a grin. He returned the smile briefly

"Mind telling me what's so damn important, Jen?" he asked taking her seat at her desk while she paced her office

She glared at him, non-verbally telling him to leave her seat. He reluctantly moved, offering her back her chair with a courteous bow, "Very funny, Jethro." she smiled, "Unfortunately, it seems that all other teams are either busy working too many cases, or have suddenly come down with a case of food poisoning. Any ideas on how that might be?"

"Well, maybe its the new health snacks you insisted on putting in the vending machines," he kept calm, though he had a fairly good idea as to what was going on, "You can't just work people like cattle and feed them health crap and expect them to keep functioning, Jen. People need food, or so I hear."

She raised her eyebrows, "It seems that said health food is quite a menace. Fourteen people have called in sick today, five more have left early due to not feeling well. That's some pretty bad tofu, don't you think?"

"Is there any other kind?" he chuckled

"Irrelevant." she dismissed his rejection of health food. In all the years she'd known him, he never took very good care of himself, but rarely missed a day of work a year. There were times when she wondered if he was even human, "Well, it seems that since all other teams can't handle this one, your team is back on this case."

"Alright." he tried to remain outwardly calm, while mentally celebrating.

"However," she cautioned, "If I think you're getting too involved, I won't hesitate to hand this one off to the next available team." a small part of her was glad that he was back on the case. In just the past hour since he'd been taken off the case, he was sulking, brooding, and depressed. More so than usual. She knew in her heart that this arrangement would work out better. He would be able to get justice for those he cared for, and bring himself closure.

He nodded, leaving her office with his head held up high.

* * *

Marching down to Autopsy, he found Ducky treating Agent Lee. The girl was pale as death, and kept retching over a bowl Ducky offered her, "Hello, Jethro!" Ducky smiled, "What brings you down here?" Gibb's gut told him something was up.

Gibbs smiled, "Ah, can I have word with you Ducky?" he gestured out to his 'office', "Privately?"

Ducky patted Lee on the back gently, offering her some pills, "Take these with a full glass of water, and I'll get Mister Palmer to escort you home, dear once your stomach settles a bit more." in spite of the office rumors, he wasn't as naïve as they thought. He knew about the liaison occurring between those two, he just didn't feel the need to announce it to the world like everyone else in the building.

Once they moved up a few feet, Gibbs pulled the break, "Duck, did you give the whole building food poisoning?" he asked, "Fourteen people called in sick, five others went home early, plus Lee...see why that strikes me as a bit odd?"

Ducky smiled, trying to maintain his cover, "Why Jethro, how dare you accuse me of doing such a thing?" he asked with mock offense in his tone, "Are you implying that I, a medical professional of nearly forty years, would allow my personal attachment to those poor girls to cloud my judgment, and force me to resort to such drastic measures? Jethro, really! I'm hurt!"

"Think Jen'll figure it out?" Gibbs asked, feeling a sense of pride growing within him. How had he managed to corrupt his team this much over the years?

"Oh, I'm fairly certain she's already got a bit of a hunch." Ducky sighed, feeling quite proud of himself, as wrong as that seemed, "It isn't really that hard to put two and two together!"

"What did you do?" Gibbs asked, curious as to how Ducky, the beloved warm-hearted ME, had managed to infect so many unsuspecting victims so quickly. He was the last person anyone would expect to do anything malicious

"I put a little bit of ipecac in the coffee pot in the break room." he explained, "It seemed to me to be the easiest way of distributing it to a large group of people without detection. Ipecac has a distinctive bitter taste, one that is easily masked by coffee. Now, if one were to drink too much, it could cause some potential harm; dehydration largely. But the only one I know who drinks enough coffee that they could possibly be harmed by it is you, and considering you insist on drinking your own blend, I figured it was a safe target."

"Remind me never to piss you off, Ducky!" Gibbs laughed


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Happy Armed Forces Day! I would be ecstatic if instead of reviewing, everyone who reads this takes the time they would normally use to review to thank a veteran!

Okay, I'm trying out something different here. For nostalgia sake, I've decided to do a chapter dedicated to the late Kate. Or, a character based off of her...it will make more sense once you read the chapter. Yes, Kate is dead. For those of you who believe Twilight never happened, get over it! For those of you who haven't seen it, there are no spoilers, except for Ziva's presence. Oh, but there is a spoiler for _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ (_Philosopher's Stone_ for you Brits). Yeah, you read that right...

* * *

Gibbs pushed open the door to Ziva's room, finding Tony siting on her bed, "Hey, how's she doing?" he took a seat beside him

Tony turned his head in the direction of the restroom, "Showering. She's been in there over an hour. Says she still doesn't feel clean." he felt helpless, wanting more than anything to take away her pain and fear; if only for a moment, make her feel safe and loved.

"She'll be okay, DiNozzo," Gibbs assured him, "Everyone copes differently. Just let her get over it on her own, and be there for her when she needs you. That's about all any of us can do."

Ziva walked out of the bathroom, wrapped tightly in her robe. Her large brown eyes were swollen and red from crying, her tears washed away down the drain. They could see the bright red where she'd scrubbed her flesh nearly raw. She pulled down the sleeves, trying to hide the marks, "Good morning, Gibbs." she sat down on the bed next to them

"Hey," he said by way of greeting, "Feeling any better?"

"It hurts to sit, and my head is _still_ spinning from the drugs," she lay her head down on his shoulder, closing her eyes, "When can I go home?"

He sighed, making her lie back down, "If it hurts, don't do it. What are you thinking?" it was a rhetorical question, "And you can go home tonight, provided the doctors say you're okay."

Tony pulled back the blankets, inviting her to slide beneath them, "You'll be out of here before you know it." he promised, "I've already talked to Jen, you're on leave for a month." she opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed a finger to her lips, "And in that time, you can still visit NCIS, but you can't work this case with us." he gazed down at her red skin, "You still don't feel clean, do you?"

She shook her head, "I do not think I ever will again."

"But you can help us catch this son of a bitch another way," Gibbs told her. She perked up, listening, "We have a sketch artist coming in to talk to you. We need you to put that memory of yours to work, and help us ID this guy."

She nodded in agreement. As much as she hated to remember him so clearly, she knew that it was an asset. She could recall every detail of his face, his body, his voice, and would probably never forget them. "Alright. What do I have to do?"

"Well, for starters," a woman walked in, flipping through a sketch pad, "Did you actually see the guy?" he woman seemed a little distracted, brushing her brown bangs aside, "Your friend wasn't really that helpful. She said she saw the guy, but this is what she came up with."

She showed the team a sketch of a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt, with the hood pulled up. The man's face consisted of small beady eyes, no eyebrows, very few details, virtually no nose, and a huge malicious grin going from ear to ear. Tony laughed, "I'll put out an APB on the Wallmart smiley."

The woman glared at him, "Ziva? I'm Sasha." she shook the woman's hand, "Ignore him. If you only listen to one piece of advice in your entire life, let it be this; don't listen to DiNozzo." Tony gasped, and pointed to himself, taking offense. She ignored him. "Think you can tell me what this guy looked like?"

"Don't they use computers for this kind of thing nowadays?" Gibbs asked, gesturing to her sketch pad and pencils

"I'm an old fashioned kind of gal," she explained, "Now, tell me everything you can remember. Take your time; the more you can give me, the better."

Ziva closed her eyes, picturing her assailant in her mind's eye, "He was in his forties, perhaps in his early fifties. He had a strong build, and was very lean. Short dark brown or black hair that was turning gray around the edges and the back of his head." Sasha made notes of these details, "He had very large, wide sunken eyes, they were a sort of olive green color."

"Good, good. Can you tell me about the shape of his face?"

Tony gently took her hand in his own, stroking the back of it with his thumb, sensing that this was stressful for her. He didn't know why they had to make her do this so soon. But in spite of the circumstances, she was holding out well. Her memory never ceased to amaze him. _ She _never ceased to amaze him. Ziva squeezed his hand back, "He had a very thick, bony jaw, with a dimpled chin. His face was long, but not very narrow. His head was almost square." she took a breath, "He had a very thin nose, with narrow nostrils. Like Voldemort in the _Harry Potter _books?"

Sasha nodded, "He wasn't by any chance wearing a purple turban, was he?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. She shook her head, "Didn't think so."

Gibbs shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The more details Ziva added, the more sure he became that this man was his friend Wesley Mason. Everything she'd described so far fit him perfectly. What happened to the man he once knew? What happened to the man who lived, breathed, and nearly died for his country?

The interview went on nearly an hour. The sketch was nearly done, and from what they'd gathered, there was more than enough to confirm the man's identity. "Oh, there is one more thing." Ziva added, "He had a strange tattoo on his right shoulder blade. A bulldog maybe? It was a large, ugly, vicious looking dog, and for some reason it was wearing a hat? I do not know, I only saw it briefly, and I was already drugged..." she trailed off, not wanting to continue, even if she could remember more.

Tony smiled at her, "You did great, Ziva. Don't worry, we've got more than enough to go on."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows, pulling out his wallet. He found in one of the pockets the invitation to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball last year. On the card, the insignia of the Corps and a large bulldog were imprinted in gold, "Ziva, did the tattoo look anything like this?" he showed her the Devil Dog on the card

Ziva carefully examined it, "Yes, it was like this. But it was facing the other way, and had a collar that looked very similar to one of Abby's." she handed the card back to him, "What does it mean?"

"Teufel Hunden," Tony stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world

"Gesundheit." Sasha said, flipping through her notes

"That wasn't a sneeze." he told her, "Story goes that the Germans, when faced with the Marines in combat in the Belleau Wood back in 1918, during World War One had never seen anything like them. They supposedly called them Teufel Hunden; Devil Dogs." he'd heard the story dozens of times. The entire thing had no credibility though. There was no documentation of the Germans using that term, but through scuttlebutt and the American media, the name stuck.

"How do you know so much about the Corps?" Sasha asked. Tony was a lot of things, but he wasn't a soldier, and he sure wasn't a scholar.

"Been a part of it since I met him." he gestured to Gibbs, who beamed at the complement

"This your guy?" Sasha showed Ziva the picture. Tony, still keeping a hold on her hand, felt her pulse quicken at the sight.

"Yes. That is him." Ziva nodded, gripping Tony tighter

Sasha smiled at Ziva, "You're very brave for doing this. Most of the people I interview can tell me things like 'beady eyes', guess a race, or tell me what color of hair he had, if they can talk about it at all. This sort of detail is really rare to have someone remember, even if they aren't stressed. I'm just glad we can get this son of a bitch." she gathered up her pencils, "I'll go show this to Abby, see if this jogs her memory."

"Better than Wallmart guy." Tony noted, holding up the disturbing looking sketch from Abby, "Can I keep this?" she smacked him upside the head, "I'll take that as a 'no'?"


	10. Chapter 10

McGee nervously cracked open the door, peeking inside. Ziva didn't seem to notice his presence, she just reclined in bed, preoccupying herself with a book. He wasn't sure if he should go in, and if he did, what he should say to her. Nothing he could tell her would make it any better, so why bother?

"McGee," she calmly called, closing her book, "No one likes a stalker. If you want to come in, go ahead. But please quit watching me like I am an animal in the zoo."

He nodded, feeling the blood rush to his face, "Sorry," he quickly told her, "I wasn't sure if you were asleep, or if you were-"

"I am fine," she sighed, "contrary to what you may have heard, I am not traumatized, depressed, or otherwise having coping problems." she'd lost track of the number of times today a nurse had asked her if she needed to talk, or was feeling alright. While she appreciated their concern, it was largely unfounded.

"Good." he sat down beside her, "Well, its not good that this happened...but you already knew that. What I mean is, its good that you're doing okay."

She smiled, "Thank you, McGee," she sat up,closing her eyes tightly, fighting her headache that was threatening to return with a vengeance, "Ducky is brining lunch, would you like to stay?"

He nodded, "Sure. What are we having?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what to bring, so I brought a medley of snacks, treats, and entrées," Ducky walked in, carrying an armload of paper sacks, "Timothy, could you give me a hand?"

McGee bolted up from his seat, catching a bag as it fell, "Wow, looks like quite a lunch."

"All the more reason for you to help us eat it," Ducky smiled, setting up the tray near Ziva's bed, giving her a peck on the cheek, "I see you're doing a bit better now that you've gotten some rest. Feeling any better?"

"A bit," she lied, "I am starving, what do we have?" she rummaged through his bags, finding crackers, M&Ms, sandwiches, and lots of soda, "You brought a lot of junk food, Ducky." she laughed, "Let me guess; Abby?"

"Yes," he sighed, "The poor girl is very bright, and should really know better than to put such things in her body. She requested chips, onion rings, anything with caffeine, and a cheeseburger. Its a miracle her heart still is functional after years of stress, caffeine, and so much junk food."

"Considering Abby's metabolism runs a mile a minute, I'm not that worried," McGee chuckled, "She takes pretty good care of herself most of the time, but she does tend to indulge every so often."

"I suppose you're right," he gathered up Abby's lunch, "I'll go bring these to her, and I will be back shortly."

* * *

Gibbs pushed Abby out into the courtyard in her wheelchair, letting her sit under the shade of the trees, "Here okay?"

"Here's good," she looked around, realizing how quickly summer was approaching, "Wow, look at all that sunshine!" she tipped her head back, gazing at the few passing clouds overhead, "Look Gibbs, it a bunny!" she giggled a little in a very uncharacteristic manner

Gibbs fought hard to suppress a grin, "Okay, I'll take your word for it." he had no doubt she was on strong medication for the pain, but this confirmed it. "Feeling okay, Abbs?"

"Great!" she smiled, "Well, I could stand to have my shoulder quit oozing, and not feel like I'm stoned, but other that that, fine!"

"And hungry, I hope!" Duck snuck up behind her, covering her eyes with his hands, "Care to guess whom?"

"Let's see here...how many nice elderly Scotsmen bring me food?" she began to count on her fingers, Ducky still covering her eyes, "Oh. Well, I guess there's only one. Hi, Ducky!"

"Good morning, Abigail," he kissed her forehead, handing her the requested junk food, "Here you are, dear. Hopefully your stomach can handle all of that. Should you really be up and about so soon?" he was glad to see her awake and doing well, but he didn't want to see her hurt again by pushing herself too hard or too soon.

"I'm okay," she assured him, "Plus, Gibbs is keeping an eye on me. So if I so much as sneeze, the doctor will know about it."

He nodded, "Well, I trust Jethro will take good care of you. Now I must get back to Ziva, I promised her I would eat lunch with her after bringing you your...well, I wouldn't exactly call that a meal, but you know what I mean."

"Ziva? Is she okay?" Abby asked, worried. She realized she hadn't heard news lately

"She's fine, Abby," Gibbs promised her, tilting her chin so she would look at him, "Trust me, I just saw her not too long ago. She's going home tonight."

"If you would like, I'm sure Jethro would be happy to escort you to her room, and I bet Ziva would like to see you as well." Ducky suggested, smiling as he saw her eyes light up

"Take me away, bossman!"

* * *

"Hi Ducky, Gibbs," McGee smiled seeing them come in, "Hey, Abby! I didn't think you were up yet, you were pretty tired earlier..." he pushed her chair up next to Ziva's bed, "You okay?"

"Yeah, Ducky set me up," she held up a cup of CaffPow!, "I'm good." she slurped it down happily, grinning from ear to ear

"Ducky, you let her have one of those?" Ziva was surprised, "Is that safe?"

He smiled, whispering in Ziva's ear, "They sell de-CaffPow!s now," he told her, "No caffiene whatsoever, but she doesn't know that. Its more of a placebo effect." Ziva nodded, a little frightened of how Abby could be that energetic from just a placebo effect, "How are you doing, Abby? Any better?"

"Yep," she nodded, "The doctors set me up with the good drugs!" she gestured to the IV stand Gibbs wheeled in with her, "I don't know exactly what it is they gave me, but it works!"

Ziva smiled, "I don't know how you can be so enthusiastic about being drugged."

"Well, considering the alternative is _feeling_ the giant hole in my shoulder, this is pretty good." Abby picked at her bandages, "This itches, anyone got a fork?"

Ziva handed her the chopsticks from her lunch, "Here, they work better than forks, and tend to reach it better." she'd had enough experience with cuts and injuries to know what worked, "Forks just don't have the coarseness needed to really get the job done."

Ducky took the chopsticks away before she could use it on her bandages, "It also can embed splinters in your wound. Not a good idea." his heart softened, seeing her pout and whimper as he put them out of her reach, "Sorry, dear. I can go have a nurse clean your bandages, that might alleviate some of your discomfort?" he offered

Gibbs handed her a cotton swab from a jar on the counter, "Try that. At least its clean."

Abby slipped it under the bandages, rubbing it furiously against the wound, "Oh yeah, that's the spot..."

McGee laughed, "You've been around Jethro too much, Abby." he gestured to her foot, twitching and thumping away

"Timmy," she scolded, "That is impossible! Just look at his face, and you melt!" she smiled happily, daydreaming about her dog, "By the way, who's taking care of him?"

"Tony." Ziva told her, "He came in here asking me if I knew how to get a dog off the couch without it biting him. His animal magnetism leaves much to be desired." she laughed at the mental picture of Tony trying to force Jethro off of his sofa, "At least this arrangement is only temporary, yes?"

A knock at the door made both Ziva and Abby jump. Ducky stood from his seat to get the door, "Hello, Tony!"

Ziva fought hard to suppress a smile, seeing Tony's tousled clothes and the bandages around his wrist, "Problems, Tony?"

"Abby, your dog is a hellhound!" he told her, "Damn thing bit me because I tried to get the remote control from under him!" he showed the girls his bite, "See, he's mean!"

Abby pouted angrily, "Tony, he's a dog. He can't be bad, he's just an animal! He doesn't know any better!" she kissed his wrist, "There, all better."

Ziva chuckled, "Aw, did the boo boo go away, Tony?"

"No, not quite." he held his hand limp by his side, "Maybe it needs a little more?" Ziva brought his hand to her lips, kissing it gently, "There, satisfied?"

"Yep." he stole a bag of chips from McGee's plate, "Thanks McGee!" the younger agent sighed, getting a little too used to being bullied

Gibbs smacked him upside the head, "No more kissing, and don't steal from McGee," Tony dropped the snack back on McGee's plate, "Don't you have work to do, DiNozzo?"

"Yeah, if you wanna get technical..."

"Anyone who's not hospitalized, or otherwise injured, come with me!" Gibbs stood, gesturing for the others to follow. Ducky kissed both the girls, wishing them well. McGee offered them both a hug, offering to come back later if they needed anything. Tony lingered behind, sitting on Ziva's bed, "DiNozzo? Come on!"

"Injured, boss. Can't go." he held up his hand, "See?"

"I thought it was all better?" Gibbs smirked

Tony cocked his head, "Well, yeah, pretty girls kissing boo boos does make it a little better, but what if I need multiple treatments?" he looked to the girls, who obviously weren't buying his act either, "Better safe than sorry, I should probably stay here." Ziva and Abby smiled knowing what was coming. Gibbs smacked him, dragging him to his feet by his earlobe, "Ow, ow, ow..." Tony whined, "Boss, that really hurts!"

"If you want, I can kiss it?" Gibbs offered, pulling him out the door, enjoying the look of horror on Tony's face

"No, its fine!"


	11. Chapter 11

Tony shook his head sadly, watching as McGee ran down the hall for the men's room yet again. This was his third trip since returning from Bethesda less than an hour ago. "McQueasy, what's going on?" he asked as McGee returned, looking pale, but relieved, "You drank the coffee, didn't you?" Tony make a soft tsk tsk sound with his tongue, "Can't say I didn't warn you!"

McGee sat back at his desk, placing his head between his knees, "You keep drinking coffee," he gestured to Tony's cup on his desk, "How come you're not worshiping the porcelain god?"

Tony drained the last of his cup, "I'm drinking coffee, McGee. Not _the_ coffee. Not the _the_ coffee I told you not to drink." he smirked, watching the color drain from McGee's face again, "How much did you drink?"

"Two cups." McGee gulped, trying to keep his stomach in place

"Two cups as in two normal, human, American sized cups or two of your Seussical cups?" Tony held up McGee's enormous novelty mug, pilfered from its owner's desk, "'Cause if you drank two of these, you might want to get a doctor." he smirked, "Or a lawyer." he added

"Two regular cups, Tony." McGee clarified, taking back his cup, "Regular, eight ounce cups. _Someone _stole my mug." he carefully examined the cup, making sure there was no damage or any pranks awaiting him

Tony sighed, "Relax, I didn't do anything to it." lately, he didn't have it in him to do cruelty, even to McGee

McGee doubled over again, groaning, "I need you to go get Ziva. I told her I'd take her home tonight, but...I just can't. Think she'll be mad?"

"Mad? Nah!" Tony laughed, "She might be a little at first, because she won't believe that you were dumb enough to drink Ducky's tainted coffee, but no. She won't be mad." he patted the younger agent's back as he retched again, "She'll just be glad to be going home."

Ducky walked in from the elevator, carrying some files, "Have either of you gentlemen seen Jethro?" he asked, "He has a bit of a habit of disappearing of late. Most likely brooding, or plotting this bastard's slow and painful death." he took a look at McGee, still panting and heaving, "Oh, Timothy, I thought I warned you..."

"You did." McGee groaned, "I forgot."

Tony sighed, "Gibbs ran off ten minutes ago, Newman said he found an address for this Mason guy. He said he'd check it out, and didn't want anyone to go with him." under normal circumstances, they would have considered this odd. But this case was anything but routine, "Figured it was best not to ask questions."

"In all likelihood, that was wise, Tony," Ducky smiled solemnly, "I suppose its hard to accept that someone whom you entrusted your life to could commit such evils. Give him some time to think, to clear his head, perhaps work on that damn boat of his, and he'll see things more clearly."

"I hope so," Tony said, "Whatcha got for us, Duck?"

* * *

Ziva rolled over in bed, trying to untangle herself from the noose she'd created in her sleep from her IV. The clock above the door couldn't be right; it said it was nearly six in the afternoon. McGee would be there to take her home soon.

She sat up and stretched a little, regretting it soon enough. The worst part of this was feeling it, even after all this time. She shifted a bit, transferring her weight off of her bottom. Experience taught her that the pain would ease up soon, along with the swelling, but until then it was just too much; a constant reminder of that night.

Dr Katz came in, softly knocking in the doorway, "Knock, knock?" he sat next to her on the bed, "Well, how are we doing?"

"Better." it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly true either

He nodded, "Good. Ready to go home, sweetheart? You look like you could use a nice night in; maybe watch some movies or settle down with a good book, drink some tea, take it easy," he suggested, carefully withdrawing the IV from her arm, "Press down on that for a sec, and let me get some tape on here...there you go, all set." he patted her arm, "I want you to come back and see me in a week or two, and we'll make sure everything looks good, alright?"

Ziva nodded, relieved to be going home, "I will see you then."

He smiled, "You're a brave girl, don't let anyone make you think anything else. Take care, Ziva." on his way out, he poked his head back in, "There's some schmuck here to see you, you want him?" he chuckled

"Hey, Ziva!" Tony smiled, walking up to her with a smile, ready to go home?" he reached out to tousle her hair, only to have her recoil, "Just trying to make you smile a bit," he punched her arm lightly, forcing a small smile from her lips, "See, it worked!" he could see that the effort was forced, and she seemed bothered. Not that anyone could blame her

"Where is McGee?" she asked, worried that he didn't come, or at least give her any explanation

"McBarfbag drank Ducky's 'special blend'. He's still blowing chunks, so I will be your escort, M'lady!" he bowed chivalrously

Ziva lifted his chin, forcing him to correct his posture, "Do not call me 'ma'am', or 'lady', and certainly not 'm'lady'" she told him in a threateningly calm voice, "Are we clear?"

"Crystal!" he nodded, handing her a duffel bag, "Jen packed you clothes to wear home. She's got classy taste, I'll give her that, but these clothes aren't exactly flattering. She could have at least given you something that fits," she checked the garments, satisfied to see that Jen had packed her some loose, comfortable clothes. There were three things women could understand that men never can; fat clothes, the inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made, and other women, "Get dressed, I'll wait outside."

She nodded, waiting until she heard the door latch securely before ridding herself of her gown. After a moment, she froze, peering behind the curtain and out into her room. It was empty, as she expected it to be, but she still felt chilled as if someone were standing right there, waiting. The fact that there was nothing there almost made her more uneasy. She covered herself, peeking out into the hallway, "Tony? Would you mind waiting inside?"

He nodded, stepping inside quietly. "Sure, I'll stay right here." he stayed on the other side of the curtain while she finished dressing. He wished there wasn't so much tension between them. It would take time, but he knew that she would feel more comfortable once she had time to heal, physically and psychologically.

She stepped out, nodding as a silent means of thanking him for staying.

"Come on, let's get some grub. I know this little Sushi place near here, heard its good. Might be nice to try something new." he offered

"Why would I want to eat grubs? I am hungry, but not nearly that close to starving." she was appalled at the idea of eating those wriggly little creatures. She promised herself she would never be that hungry again, "Is that what sushi is? McGee told me it was fish?"

"No, its just a term," he explained, "Like 'chow'?" she stared at him blankly, "'Grit', 'slop', any of this ringing a bell?" she shook her head, "Never mind...so, sushi?"

* * *

Gibbs parked his car outside the Green Dragon. He promised himself that he would never come here again. But at the moment, his priorities did not include his personal issues.

He found Wesley Mason, sitting at the bar. He'd figured that he might be here, considering his apartment was empty. How could he sit so comfortably here after all he'd done? When half of DC knew his name and face, and was searching for him, how could he show himself?

Taking a seat at the bar, keeping his distance from Mason, he called over the barkeeper. The man approached, his eyes widening in recognition, "Hey, that girl doin' okay? I heard she's in the hospital, resting. Give her my best?"

"Yeah, I'll do that." he nodded, "See that guy over there?" he looked over at Mason, making sure that he was subtle enough not to draw attention to himself

"Oh, Wes," the barkeeper nodded, "He's a regular. What about him?"

"That's all I need to know," Gibbs said, vacating his seat


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Nothing case related, just angst, friendship, and pizza. Thanks for all the great reviews, my inbox is never empty! Keep 'em coming!

* * *

Ziva sank into her sofa, never happier to be home. Tony critically eyed her DVD collection, clearly dissatisfied, "What do you do for _fun_, Ziva? Or do you not know what that means?" he flopped down beside her on the couch, "Its a Sunday night, we both now know that most sushi isn't kosher, and the stuff that is makes you puke, so what do you want to do?" she wished he hadn't brought up the sushi again. It was really all his fault; he had told her the wasabi paste was guacamole for the California rolls.

"I do not care," she sighed, not feeling up to doing anything fun. She found it hard to get any enjoyment out of things lately, even being among friends. "Nothing is fun, and nothing will make me feel any better, so do not waste your time trying."

Tony shook his head, "I can't do that, Ziva. I promised you a nice, relaxing, fun evening, and I'm gonna give it to you," he picked up the phone, dialing for pizza, "First things first, let's get some real food." she smiled a little. He had an unconventional solution for everything.

She had smiled, that was a good sign. At least she was feeling a little more like herself. If nothing else, he could get her to eat a little. She'd barely eaten a few bites all day, not counting the sushi which lasted all of five minutes in her stomach. A few extra calories wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, pizza," he hung up the phone, "It should be here in half an hour, or its free. It's never free; have you ever gotten a free pizza?" he asked her, trying to start up a conversation

"No," she told him after having to think about it for a moment, "But then again, I do not order pizza often. Whereas you think it is a food group!" she was still amazed at how excited Tony got over something as simple as pizza

"Pizza is an absolute good," he defended his favorite food, "You get all the food groups in one foldable, portable, tasty slice!"

She rolled her eyes at him, "How is it that blood can still get through your arteries? Perhaps that is why so little of it gets to your head? Or is it because all of your blood is being diverted to...how can I put this delicately...your other head?" she couldn't resist giving him a bit of a hard time

"A little from column 'A', a little from column 'B'." he decided

She laughed at him. If nothing else, he always seemed to be able to do that. He could always make her laugh, smile, and just forget the hardships of the world, if only for a moment. And for that, she was grateful.

"I am going to take a bath," off of his inquiring look, she added, "Alone. I will be out once dinner is here, feel free to look around, but do not touch or break anything, or I will break you." she threatened

He gave her a salute, watching her disappear into the bathroom

* * *

She ran the water as hot as it would go, filling it to the brim. In spite of her meticulous showering earlier, she still didn't feel clean enough. She added soap to the bath, taking pleasure in the simple joy of watching the tub fill with bubbles. She immersed herself completely, not caring that her skin was bright red from the heat.

She couldn't believe all that was happening was real; the bar, Abby, the...she didn't want to think about it anymore. She would give anything to make it all go away. A quick glance over at the door reminded her that the door was securely locked. Seeing that she had some privacy, she let the tears flow shamelessly down her cheeks, the drops rippling in the water below.

* * *

Tony explored Ziva's apartment a little, taking care not to touch anything as he was instructed. Her home was small and spartan, but somehow cozy. There weren't any pictures of family, at least not biological. However there were several pictures of the team, along with some from before her time. There was one of him and Kate, sitting together on a log out in the woods, and he was giving her bunny ears with his fingers. _Where did she get this?_

He sat down on her bed, looking around her bedroom. He'd found a gun under her pillow, not too surprising, and a knife on her nightstand. It made him wonder what made her into what she was today. How she went from an innocent child, full of happiness and love to well...Ziva. There were times when another side of her would shine through; the side she hid from the world, filled with laughter, love, and hope. If nothing else, he wished that she would show that side of herself more often.

He made her bed for her, making sure that her weapons were where she had left them, within an arm's reach in case she needed them. She should at least be able to feel secure in her own bed, though he doubted she ever did.

A knock at the door heralded the arrival of the pizza. He paid the delivery man, once again failing to receive the illusive free pizza. He went over to the bathroom, knocking lightly, "Hey, Ziva? The pizza's here; no it wasn't free." he called softly, "You might want to get out before it gets-" he stopped, startled by what he heard. Was she crying?

He picked the lock, a trick he bet she regretted teaching him now, and opened the door. She didn't even notice him come in, that or she simply didn't care. He sat down on the edge of the tub, using all of his will power not to stare at her naked body. She already felt awful, the last thing she needed was to be treated like a sexual object. It was tempting though... He mentally and physically slapped himself on the back of the head.

"What do you want?" she sighed, wiping away her tears, trying to hide the fact that she'd spent the past half hour crying her eyes dry

"I just came to see if you were okay. I heard-" he was barely able to keep himself from saying the word 'crying'. He knew she would never admit it, and there was no reason to make her.

"Yes, I was crying!" she wailed, "There! Are you happy?"

"No." he told her honestly. It pained him to see her so upset, feeling so helpless; a feeling that mirrored his own. He didn't know what he could do to help her. "To be honest, it makes me sick."

He instantly regretted his word choice, feeling the sting on his cheek where she'd slapped him, "That came out wrong!" he amended, "What I mean was, seeing you like this is the hardest thing I've ever done. I can't stand the fact that this bastard was able to hurt you. I hate the fact that I can't do anything to make it all go away." he lifted her chin gently, forcing her to look at him with teary red eyes. He offered her his hand, helping her up and out of the bath. He resisted the urge to stare at her slender form, instead offering her a towel to cover herself, "Come on, let's eat."

* * *

Ducky turned down the lights in Abby's room. She was either sleeping or unconscious, either way she needed her rest. He sat down by her bedside, placing another card on her nightstand among the many she'd already received. "You'll be happy to know that Jethro has identified, and is currently perusing our 'douche-bag', as Anthony put it so delicately. I have no idea why a feminine hygiene product is used to describe an obnoxious or irritating person, but it seems to be used quite frequently." the older he got, the more out of touch he felt with these younger agents. At least he was better than Gibbs at adapting to modern technology, "Here, I found this down in your lab. You'll be happy to hear that your lab is intact, and your temp, while he does look a bit like a monkey, is doing an adequate job," he took her mP3 player, and put the ear buds in her ears. He didn't turn it up too loud, not wanting to damage her hearing any more than it already was by years of exposure to this noise.

"Ducky, turn it up!" she growled sleepily, "It's _Black Sabbath, _it's supposed to be loud!" she reached for the volume, turning it up louder, "There, that's more like it." she bobbed her head in beat with the music, happily humming along

He sighed. He could now hear every word of the song, "I suppose it is a good thing you already sign fluently," he chuckled, "That cannot be good for your hearing."

She pulled the small speakers out of her ears, "What?!"

He shook his head. He'd lost the battle before it started, "Never mind, dear."


	13. Chapter 13

Gibbs stood on the doorstep, hesitating a few times before knocking. It wasn't like him to hesitate on anything; his gut always told him the right move to make. But in this case, he couldn't definitively make a move. He hadn't seem Wes in nearly ten years, and wished this meeting were under more pleasant circumstances.

A young boy, about ten years old, answered the door, opening it just a peek, "Who are you?" the boy asked between mouthfuls of his peanut butter sandwich, "Whaddaya wan?"

Gibbs smiled, crouching down to the child's level, "Hey, is your dad home?"

"Jethro? That you, gunny?" a familiar voice called from behind the door. Mason pushed his son aside, opening the door fully, "Come on in! How ya been, ya old bastard?" he chuckled. He hadn't changed much in ten years; he had a little more gray around the edges, but still had the physique of a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Mason punched him on the arm lightly, "What brings you here this time 'o night? Your latest wifey isn't harping on you yet?"

He walked in, taking a seat on the couch. This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

* * *

Tony woke up slowly, his body not yet willing to rise along with his mind. Ziva lay on top of him on the couch, her head nestled in the crook of his arm, sleeping soundly. The weight of her body didn't bother him; she was light, and her body radiated warmth into his. In spite of all she'd been through, she looked remarkably peaceful. Every so often, he would catch a glimpse of a small smile; a testament to her now pleasant dreams.

It was only a little past midnight, but he felt wide awake. He wrapped his arms protectively around Ziva's body, drawing her in close. He could feel her shaking a little, the smile no longer present on her face. Her fingers tangled themselves in the material of his shirt. He could feel her muscles tensing as her body shook. Whispering to her softly, he calmed her down, "Easy, Ziva. You're okay now, I'm here. No one's gonna hurt you..." she stopped shaking, settling down into a deeper sleep. "I won't let them." the smile returned to her face as she clung to him, her dreams no longer haunting her

He watched her clock on the wall, ticking away slowly. From the kitchen, he could hear her faucet dripping percussively into the sink. The sound was soothing at first, almost in time with Ziva's heart beating on his chest, but now it only served as a reminder of his increasingly urgent biological needs. With each drip, his need to get up and use the head became stronger. He tried to cross his legs, but Ziva had her legs draped between his. To add to the torture, rain began to fall steadily against the window behind him.

He couldn't just slip out, he'd wake her in an instant. But at the same time, the incessant dripping would make him wet himself if he didn't get up soon. Gently rolling her off, he slipped out from under Ziva's sleeping form. How he managed to avoid her waking up, he'd never know. He sprinted down the hall, and toward the bathroom.

* * *

He sighed with relief, shaking out the last few drops. "Oh yeah, much better..."

"Tony?" Ziva stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "Where did you-" she stopped, staring at his half naked form. She quickly stepped out, covering her eyes with her hand, "Would it kill you to close the door?!"

He zipped up quickly, running after her, "Ziva, I'm sorry!" he didn't mean for her to see that, "I'll close the door next time, I promise! I just was in a hurry."

She eyed him critically, "Obviously." she gestured to his clothing. His shirt was half-way tucked in, wrinkled, and a few buttons were undone. His pants, though now zipped, weren't buttoned, and had fallen half-way down his backside. "Come with me." she led him into her bedroom, "Let me see if I can find you something more comfortable, yes?"

He sat down on her bed, watching her rummage through her closet. Her wardrobe wasn't all what he'd expected. In addition to her work clothes, she had dresses, quite a few workout outfits, and some more casual attire. There were some things he'd be more than thrilled to see her in, but she never wore. He didn't voice his opinions; she needed support, not critique right now.

"Here, this should fit," she offered him a large T-shirt, "I have no idea where it came from, but you may use it. Keep it if you would like, id does not fit me." he graciously accepted the floppy shirt, changing quickly into it and his boxers

Ziva sat down on the bed beside him, tossing her robe onto the laundry basket in the corner. Tony's jaw dropped, seeing her thin nightgown for the first time. He quickly reminded himself to be a gentleman. He threw back the covers, inviting her to slip between the sheets. He came under with her, a little nervous at first. Was she really okay with sharing a bed with him? "Ziva, if you want, I can go. Or stay out on the couch?" he offered, pulling the blankets around the two of them

She curled up alongside him, laying her head on his chest, "Do whatever you want, Tony. Just let me sleep." feeling his firm muscles under her head, she gently beat his chest, as if it were a pillow, "Relax, I do not bite. Hard."

He smiled at her, "Heh, don't worry. I know."

* * *

"McGee, when can I go home?" Abby whined, tiredly poking his arm, trying to get him to pay attention. "B2! Its the little hole, two in each way, which should have an aircraft carrier on it!" His eyes were glued to his laptop. At this point virtually nothing could divert his attention away from this game.

"Soon, Abby," he promised, his eyes never leaving the screen, "And...sunk!" he looked at Abby in disbelief, "How do you do that? You got my patrol boat and my destroyer all in the first few rounds, are you sure you're not cheating?" he teased her a little, knowing that she won fair and square

"McGee!" she placed her hand on her chest, "How dare you accuse me of cheating! Wanna rematch?" she grinned, knowing full well that while a master of cyberspace, he was pathetic at Battleship, "Loser gets clean up!" she handed him a fistful of white and red pegs

"I talked to your doctor, you can go home on Wednesday, if you get your rest," he began to sort out the colored pegs, "But for now, don't push yourself too hard, too fast." he kissed her forehead, "You get some sleep, I'll clean up."

She hugged him with her good arm, "Aw, no...I'm good. I'll be a good sport, and help you clean up. Even though you should have to clean up, what, ten times? That was sad, McGee!" she folded up the cases, and placed them back in the box, "Stick to Scrabble, okay? No one can beat you there!"

"Yeah...about that..." he explained to her about Ziva, and losing his title. He honestly should have known better than to play against a polyglot. She laughed at him; kind heartedly of course. "Is 'qi' even a word?" he looked to her for an answer, but she'd already fallen asleep. Tired from her winning streak, drugs, and weakness from her surgery, her tired body couldn't hold out any longer. He tucked her in, careful not to touch her shoulder, "It doesn't really matter. It's all just a game."

* * *

AN: FYI, finals week is hell! I'm still like two, three months behind on my homework, so the next update probably won't be until after June 11th (unless I finish early, and spend the rest of the period writing). That's my last final! Whoohoo! Almost halfway through high school!: )

Thanks a bunch to all who've reviewed so far, I'm hugging you all in my mind right now! If you want a mind hug, please review!


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Okay, I said I wouldn't update until after finals, but this was much more fun than writing an essay on the Eisenhower presidency for honors history. Procrastinators of the world unite! Tomorrow! Please review!

* * *

Ziva rolled over to glance at the clock on her nightstand. It was only one in the morning; she'd been asleep less than an hour. She sighed and sat up, knowing she wouldn't sleep tonight. Her whole body throbbed with a dull ache, not bad enough to be agonizing or require medicine, but just nagging enough to keep her from sleeping soundly. The doctor had warned her that some pain was to be expected for a while, until she had healed. That and the cramps from the damn pill she'd insisted on taking; it felt like her body was being turned inside-out.

Tony lay beside her, face down, halfway off the bed. He muttered in his sleep, "_Oh, yeah...hmm..."_ Ziva couldn't help but chuckle. _At least one of us is sleeping well!_

Bored, she considered her options. She wasn't the type of person content with sitting in front of a TV, watching something for hours just to pass the time; where was the accomplishment in that? She could go for a run? Glancing out the window at the maelstrom flooding the city, she decided against it. Even if it were clear and warm, and in the middle of the day, she wouldn't feel safe running alone right now. And she wasn't about to wake Tony, just because she feeling cowardly. She had very few hobbies, most of which involved exertion which her body wouldn't allow right now.

She heard a loud 'thud' as Tony finally rolled off of the bed, still in a deep sleep. He didn't even flinch. A little bit of drool formed at the corner of his mouth as he snored in a low tone. Laughing softly to herself, she took a picture of him with her phone. This was something she'd hold over him for years, and now she had a nice piece of evidence to go with it. She considered sending it to someone, Abby would get a kick out of it, but odds were everyone was already asleep. Flipping through the address book in her phone, one number stood out; one she hadn't called in years. It was morning in Tel Aviv.

She waited for a few rings, giving him a chance to pick up. Who was she kidding? He would never- "Boker Tov?" a familiar voice sighed, obviously stressed. So like her father; eight in the morning, and already stressed to his limit.

"Aba?" she managed, her voice sounding a little weaker than she'd meant it to sound. She'd never been so happy to hear his voice.

"Ziva?!" her father's voice warmed and softened, "How have you been, my child?"

"Not so good, Aba..."

* * *

They spoke for nearly an hour. He didn't want to know all of the details as to what happened, but he listened intently to all she had to say, and however much she was willing to divulge. He had hoped that being in America would protect her from some of the evils in the world, but in his heart he'd known that those evils would follow her, just as they followed everyone in this unforgiving life.

"What was that all about?" Tony had finally hauled himself up off of the floor, "I understood 'Shalom' and 'Aba', that's about it." he sat up next to her on the bed, "You were talking to your father? Is there gonna be a bloodbath, 'cause I'm really sick of those."

She smiled, "No, no bloodbath. We just talked." she lay back, tired, "What time is it?

"Almost two." he tucked her in, "I got the impression that whenever you and your father were in the same room, or even time zone, it was like putting a couple of pit bulls together."

"No, that would be me and my mother." she chuckled, feeling the nagging pain returning as she did so

"You're not that bad," he assured her, "You're a lot more relaxed than you used to be." he'd seen her evolve from an assassin, a fighter, and a spy to something more human and normal; something he was growing to love

"Perhaps that is why this happened, yes? I became too relaxed, I let my guard down, and-"

"No!" he wouldn't let her think like that, "There's nothing you did wrong. What that asshole did isn't your fault. You can't stop insane people from doing insane things for insane reasons. That's insane!" he handed her a cup of water and her medication, "Here, Ducky said those will help the pain; and yeah, I can tell you're hurting, so just take them." he hated seeing her like this, but at the same time there was nowhere else he'd rather be, "He said they'd make you dizzy, so if you have to get up and pee, do it now; I don't want to find you collapsed on the floor in the morning."

Reluctantly, she took the pills, "It is not bad," she rolled her eyes a bit. Trying to maintain her composure, she settled down on her pillows, sipping at the water.

Tony sat beside her, watching her carefully, "What's wrong? You're barely eating anything, you aren't sleeping, and you're obviously in pain." he felt her brow with his palm, "Do you want me to call the doctor, see what he says?"

"Tony, I'm fine!" she was getting tired of saying that all the time, "I just need some sleep."

"Which, at this point, you've gotten how much sleep?" he was starting to worry about her, "You've slept what, an hour?"

"Or two. I can get by on less." she assured him, feeling the drugs start to take effect as her head felt heavy and limp on her shoulders, "My father is coming to visit." she informed him casually

"Why?" he was a little frightened of that notion; Director of Mossad, coming for a visit? That couldn't be good...

"I could not dissuade him. Believe me, I tried. However he is coming in the morning."

* * *

Tony came around, opening the car door for her. Chivalry didn't suit him. "Tony, I am fine. I do not need you to hold doors for me!" while she appreciated the gesture, she hated being sheltered and coddled.

"Come on, Gibbs caught the bastard!" his voice was bright with excitement, "All you have to do is point a finger, and he's off to Leavenworth!" he locked arms with her, a bit of a skip in his step, "You ready for this?"

She nodded, hitting the button on the elevator that somehow still worked after all these years of abuse. "Yes, I think so."

Up in the bullpen, Gibbs stopped her right before she turned down the isle to their desks, "Ziva, you've got company." he gestured to her desk, where she saw her father seated casually, waiting for her no doubt, "He can't stay here; he keeps asking about Mason. I'm pretty sure he'll kill him if he gets a chance." he wasn't so sure that was a bad thing, but he was sure the Director would frown on that, and he would take the heat for it; something he was more than happy to do

"Aba?" she walked up to her desk, surprised to see her father so soon, "What are you doing here? When you said you were coming, I did not think you meant here!" she let him wrap her in his arms, something he hadn't done since she was a little child

"Ziva," he sighed, "I will not allow the man who did this to you to get away with this. I've seen the way American laws work; there are loopholes, exceptions, and with a competent lawyer they can get out of it. I will not allow that. He must pay for what he did to you and your friend; I will not let him hurt another man's child as he has with mine." he paced the walkway like a caged animal, "Agent Gibbs, if you do not tell me where he is, I assure you I can find him on my own."

"If that were true, you would have already," Tony pointed out, "He'd have been dead hours ago if you knew that." he knew of course the feeling was mutual

"Come on," Gibbs gestured for the man to follow him. Director David followed Gibbs down the hall to the interrogation rooms, Ziva at his heels, "Down here."

"Gibbs, you have never seen my father when he is furious. Now that I think about it, he is a lot like you!" Ziva pleaded with him, "If you show him that man, he will kill him! I am not saying that he deserves to go free. What I am saying is that it is his right to have justice, just as we do!"

"There is no justice, Ziva," Gibbs opened the door into observation, "Just us."

* * *

AN: Next chapter (which will actually be after finals ei: Wednesday at the earliest) all hell breaks loose! Reviews give my ego a much needed stroking!


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Okay, I lied a bit; hell is going to commence breaking loose over the next couple of chapters, not just here. Enjoy!

* * *

Gibbs walked into the interrogation room, coffee in one hand, a folder in the other. Mason looked up and gave a sigh of relief, "About damn time! What the hell's going on here? Mind telling me what this is about, Gunny?"

Gibbs sat down across from him, opening the folder, revealing the contents. Two photos stared back at Mason, one of each Ziva and Abby, "You recognize these girls, Wes?" he asked with an eerie calm in his voice

Mason eyed the photos critically, "Never seen them before, no. I'd like to though, wow...don't tell my wife I said that!" he chuckled a bit at himself

"Oh, I think you're wife won't care too much about that," Gibbs closed the folder, "I think she'd be more interested in knowing why you sit here, charged with assault, attempted murder, kidnapping, and rape."

"Whoa, what?!" Mason looked around, "Why the hell would you think I did something like that?! I want a lawyer, now!" he stared angrily at the man whom he once entrusted his life to, "Jethro, do you honestly think I did all of that?"

Honestly, he didn't know what to think. He hadn't seen or heard from Wesley Mason in over a decade; people change. But at the same time, he still had a good sense of what his character was like. The man earned a purple heart twice serving his country. He wasn't the kind of person one would expect to be capable of such evils. "I think the evidence is against you."

* * *

From the other side of the glass, Ziva and her father watched. Tony stood behind her, his chin resting on top of her head, his arms wrapped around her middle protectively, "You think he's lying?"

"Of course he is!" Director David paced the dark room, fuming, "Evidence or no evidence, that man is lying to us, I know it!" he stared through the glass, watching the man's eyes, "He is guilty, without a doubt."

"Aba," Ziva sighed, "We are not in Israel, you may not incarcerate someone based on what they _may_ have done. I am not convinced he is lying. He may have done it, but consciously, he truly believes himself to be innocent."

"'Innocent' and 'not guilty' aren't the same thing, Ziva," Tony told her, "Evidence doesn't lie, people do. This guy's gonna be locked up from now 'till he's old and gray. Well, grayer...he's got a little bit around the edges. See, right there!" he managed to get a bit of a smile from Ziva, a small victory

McGee pushed open the door nervously peering in, "Um, guys? We've got a problem."

"Probie, with you there's always a problem," Tony turned away from the argument ensuing on the other side of the glass, "Big enough of a problem you're gonna break one of the sacred rules?" he gestured to the one-way mirror. Everyone in the Western hemisphere knew better than to bother Gibbs in interrogation.

"Maybe." McGee held out a paper for Tony to see, "Newman ran DNA from hairs the doctor collected with the rape kit. Excluding Ziva, there were three donors."

Ziva left the room quietly, not wanting to know any more. Tony started to follow her, but her father placed a hand on his shoulder, "Trust me, boy. Nothing you can do right now will help her. She needs to have time for herself, to allow herself to let it out. Once she returns, then I am sure she will be more than grateful for your support."

McGee's eyes followed Ziva down the hall and around the corner, and finally out of sight, "Well, as I was saying there were three foreign hairs. One...well, its yours Tony." Tony could feel Director David's eyes boring holes in the back of his head, "The others are a match to Wesley Mason, and an unknown female."

"'Unknown female'?" Tony's eyebrows shot up through the roof, "Wow, didn't think she was into that sort of thing." he instantly regretted his comment, finding himself on the floor. His nose throbbed where the older man had punched him, causing a rivulet of blood to trickle down his face, "Shutting up!" he groaned

McGee dropped down to the floor, helping Tony up, "Newman's still running the foreign female. No idea where it came from, but we'll find out soon enough."

Director David continued to stare through the glass, "Agent McGee, was it?" the agent nodded nervously, not wanting to know what would happen if he lied to the Director of the Mossad; Ziva was bad enough, "Why are you telling us this? We have him already, why come forward with information which will only complicate things?"

"Because...I guess its my job, sir?"

* * *

Ziva made her way down to Autopsy; a quiet sanctuary where she could think. The room was empty at the moment. Ducky had given Jimmy the week off to study for his mid-terms, and Ducky himself was probably either with his mother or keeping Abby company at the hospital.

She sat down at Ducky's desk, spinning back and forth lazily in his chair. She always liked coming down here. Unlike most people, the fact that it was usually inhabited my cadavers didn't bother her. What she loved about it was the knowledge it contained; Ducky kept dozens of books down here, all of which she'd read at least once, and then of course there was Ducky himself with his seemingly endless supply of trivia. It seemed peaceful down here. It was a place of closure and comfort for many victims over the years. Perhaps it would heal her too?

"Ziva? What are you doing down here?" Ducky hung up his coat, "Is everything alright, dear?" he plugged in the electric kettle on his desk, "I don't know about you, but I could use a good strong cup of tea right about now. Would you like some?"

"Yes, thank you," she felt a little less alone, knowing full well that Ducky could listen just as well as he could tell stories, "I am just a little stressed."

"Understandable, considering the circumstances. Over what are you currently stressing?" he rummaged through his cupboards, finding a box of sugar cookies he'd kept stored away for just such an occasion, "Here, they're quite good. And if you don't mind me saying so, eating a few sweets will hardly be of any concern to a woman with your physique."

She took one, nibbling at it from time to time, "Abby's lab temp found...other donors. Hairs." she didn't want to think about it any more than she had to, "I do not remember much about what happened that night. Is it possible that he was not the only one who-" she was cut off by the shrill whistle of the kettle, and was very grateful for its interruption

"Well, while it is possible, I would not dwell on it too much," Ducky poured her a cup, "There you are dear, careful not to hurt yourself. A person loses about eighty hairs a day on their head alone! Theoretically, the hairs could have been secondary transfer?" he suggested

"You are probably right," she decided, "Perhaps I am just overreacting? One of the other hairs may have been..." she wasn't sure how much she should divulge to Ducky. While he could keep secrets, he also wouldn't keep them from Gibbs. "They may be there...consensually."

"Ah! Have you found yourself a lover, Ziva?" Ducky's eyes twinkled with mischief, "Good for you, dear!"

She stirred her tea nervously, "Yes, I have. However," she sighed, "Do you think that he will see me the same way? After...all of this?" she didn't see Tony as being overly critical, but would he still be able to love her? She was hardly a virgin before, and she doubted any of his exes were much better, but this was something different entirely.

"No, I do not think he will," off her look he added, "He will see you as stronger, braver, more independent. I know I do. If not, then he is not the kind of man that would be good for you in the long run, and I advise you to shoot him." he told her, only half-joking

* * *

Director David continued to prowl the small observation room, making Tony nauseous, "Do you want to sit down or something? Maybe go back to staring through the mirror?" he massaged his nose, now turning a vivid shade of purple, "Man, you hit hard. Come on, you're not helping her by blaming yourself!"

"As opposed to you helping her by mounting her?" he snapped, "You are not to touch her ever again, are we clear?"

Tony stared defiantly at the older Israeli. He wasn't going to give her up that easily, "No. She's a big girl, she can make her own choices, and if you don't like it, you can go ahead and bend over and-"

Their feud was interrupted by the rarest of rare events. The door to the interrogation room swung open, revealing Paul Newman, proudly holding up a folder, "Special Agent Gibbs, I have something important to show you!" the smile on his face quickly vanished as Gibbs glared at him, gesturing out into the hallway

"Poor bastard," Tony sighed, "Well, they call 'em temps for a reason."


	16. Chapter 16

AN: YAY!! Another chapter! FYI, I will not be able to update this fast all the time. Also, telling me in your reviews to write faster does NOT affect how fast I write! Its a bit hypocritical, when some authors (who shall remain pen-nameless) don't update for several MONTHS, and yet tell me to write faster! Those are the writers you need to start harassing (hint hint?)!

I've revised this chapter due to a mistake I made. Identical twins do not have identical fingerprints. (thanks Hobbit Killer, I owe ya one!)

* * *

Newman shifted nervously under Gibbs' deathly stare, "Oh, this better be good..." Gibbs threatened, "You know what happens when you bother me in interrogation?"

"Um, no sir?" the only thing Gibbs hated worse than a blatant disregard for his rules was being called 'sir', "I think I found something important that I thought you should know."

Gibbs threw up his hands in exasperation, "You _think_? While I'm out here dealing with you, he's in there thinking up something that wasn't in his head when he came in! If a guilty man walks out of here because of you, so help me-"

"Jethro!" Jen placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around, "The SecNav says to let him go." she braced herself for the outburst which was sure to follow, "He says there's insufficient evidence for holding him, and he should be released until we come up with something definitive."

"What?!" he roared, "Why the hell should we do that?" he stared down Newman, who at this point looked about ready to soil himself. He spoke in a calm but menacing voice, "I. Blame. You."

"Jethro, it isn't because of him," Jen assured him, trying to hide her smirk seeing the terrified look on the lab rat's face, "There's a bit of a problem. Wesley Mason? He has an identical twin brother, Matthew."

"That means identical DNA," Newman clarified, "Jury's gonna love this one. There's only one distinguishing point, which is common to both brothers. Even still, juries rarely take anything with less than three points. One is a joke."

"Why should we let him go? There's still a fifty-fifty shot he's the one responsible for all this!" Gibbs was ready to take it all out on Mason, even if he was just a scapegoat. If nothing else, he just needed someone to blame.

"The SecNav doesn't want to prosecute a decorated Marine, Jethro." Jen sighed, handing him his orders, "Wesley's brother is an ex-convict, convicted of robbery, assault and attempted rape. Who do you honestly think is more likely to have done it?" she knew that while Gibbs hated listening to reason, he wasn't deaf to it. He preferred to go with his gut on things like this, but even his famous gut wasn't infallible.

"And, the female hair? It belongs to Matthew's wife, Sandra. Probably secondary transfer." Newman added

"So we just let him go? Just like that?" he shook his head in disbelief, "Fine. You go to the hospital, tell Abby we may have just let her attacker go. I'll tell her Ziva, and you can tell her father." he wasn't about to deny them closure. Even if there was a chance they had the wrong man, he wouldn't rest until they knew for sure

* * *

Tony found Ziva sitting down in Autopsy, chatting with Ducky over tea. She seemed a bit tired, but not nearly as miserable as she had been previously. At least she seemed to be enjoying herself again, "Hey, Ziva?" he called, "Your dad's a jerk!"

She looked up, and ran up to him, "Tony? What happened to your nose?" she brushed it lightly with her fingers. Even her gentle touch made him flinch, "Are you alright?"

"Anthony, come here, let's get you some ice!" Ducky handed him a cool compress, "That looks like it hurt, how did you manage to do that?" he carefully prodded at Tony's nose, holding his chin so he wouldn't squirm away, "I don't think you broke it, but at the very least you bruised it quite thoroughly!"

"Yeah, you've head of people who can touch their noses with their tongue? I'm the kind of guy who can hurt his nose with his mouth," he massaged his sinuses, still sore and swollen, "You're dad packs quite a punch for an old geezer, no offense."

"My father hit you?" she leaned in close, checking him over, "And that is all you have to show for it? Either he has gone soft, you ran like a girl, or you hurt him worse." she wasn't sure she wanted to know what he'd said to incur her father's wrath, "What did you say this time?"

"He doesn't like me," he told her, deliberately ignoring her question, "He's forbid me from touching you ever again." just to show his defiance, he reached over and poked her arm, "See? I can touch you all I want!" he continued to poke her several times before she brushed his hand away

"That is not what he meant, and you know it!" she smiled a bit. She was used to her father hating the men she dated, but if he actually hurt them, it meant they were especially worth it. Whenever she found a man she truly adored, her father never approved, "If he hits you, it is a good sign."

Ducky handed Tony some white pills, "Take those, and you may want to go and wipe your nose. There's a bit of dried blood right there." he pointed to his own upper lip for reference, "Try not to anger him too much, Tony. Keep in mind that while he may not be able to physically keep you away from his daughter, he can make your life quite miserable."

Ziva softly kissed the end of Tony's nose, "Better?"

"A little," he sighed, pouting just a little, "You know, I've had this knot in my neck...right there?" he pulled down his collar, letting her give him a little kiss on his shoulder, "And there's this one spot on my hip that-"

"If you are in that much misery, perhaps Ducky can make you better?" she teased, enjoying the look of horror on his face, "I'm sure that he would be more than happy to?"

* * *

Abby paced in front of the building, waiting not so patiently for her ride. Ziva had offered to drive her home, and from what she'd heard from Tony and McGee, she was never late. She was beginning to worry a little when she saw the red Mini skid to a stop, avoiding hitting her by inches, "God, Ziva! You got a death wish? 'Cause I sure don't!"

"Sorry," she opened the door for her friend, "I am a bit on edge. My father is here." she explained taking off before Abby could even fasten her seatbelt

"Wow, someone's got daddy issues!" she clung to the door handle for dear life, "Hey! Just got out of the hospital, don't really wanna go back! What did he do?"

"Sorry if my driving is a bit...intimidating." she slowed down a bit as they got on the main road, congested with the afternoon traffic, "Well, when I was a child, he always undermined any sort of accomplishment I did, he was never around, and he always saw the glass as half-empty. I applied for the best colleges in the country and got into the second best, and he tells me, 'I told you that you were probably not up to their standards, now you must settle for second best!' And now, he comes here, pretending to care about me, until the point where he nearly broke Tony's nose."

Abby laughed out loud, "What did Tony say?" it wasn't hard to guess that the fight involved Tony putting his foot in his mouth, "Did he let it slip that you two are getting frisky?"

"Something about me being a bi-sexual...I think. He does not make much sense to me sometimes." Ziva smiled, pulling into the Naval Yard. She noticed Abby yawning loudly and rubbing at her sore shoulder, "Are you sure you do not want to go home first?"

"I need to check on my babies!" Abby insisted, "Once I'm sure the temp isn't totally ruining the reputation of my crime lab, then I'll go home."


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Warning: this chapter contains a fake sex scene. You've been warned. (If its unrealistic, sorry, I tried. My eighth grade class voted me most likely to die a virgin, so I don't know what its supposed to be like!)

Again, this chapter has been revised to correct my slip up (thanks again to Hobbit Killer)

* * *

Abby walked into her lab, the place she once called her own until her position was usurped by a monkey. She was disappointed by the silence she was faced with upon entering. As she reached the inner sanctum, she could barely hear soft classical music playing. She wasn't too thrilled about that. He'd defiled the Gothic sanctuary she'd created for herself, and she wasn't liking it, "What did you do to my lab?!" she demanded of the man at her desk, "Where's the music? Why are all these lights on? Who gave you permission to touch my bobbleheads?" she ran over to her collection of skull bobbleheads, each with a unique personality. There was a nerdy one, complete with horn rimmed glasses and freckles, an emo one with dark makeup on, and dozens of others. All of which were now out of order

"Um, I'm sorry," Newman looked her over, not sure whether or not to call security, "Who are you?"

"I'm Abby Scuitto, who the hell are you?" she glared at him hatefully.

Ziva put her hand on her friend's shoulder, "Abby, this is Paul Newman, your temporary fill in. Gibbs has informed me that while completely belligerent and annoying, he is a competent forensic scientist, and is doing his best in regards to this case." while it was kind of amusing to watch her get all worked up over these things, she figured cooling Abby down was a wise idea. Considering she'd threatened on more than one occasion to boil someone from the inside, leaving no forensic evidence; and she had no doubt that she could if she wanted.

Abby eyed him critically, "I don't like you..." she told him cooly

"Yeah, there's a lot of that going around!" Newman sighed, "Your boss wants my head on a platter."

"Ah," Ziva sighed, "It is nothing personal. He has merely chosen you as his personal scapegoat; if anything you should be flattered!"

"No, I shouldn't." Newman pulled up the case file, "It turns out, our prime suspect has an identical twin; identical DNA. Plus, we only have a one point fingerprint match, common to both guys. So right now, our case is on a bit of a standstill until they can find and interrogate the brother. Apart from a confession, there's just no way of knowing!"

"Blasphemy!" Abby smacked the back of his head in a very Gibbs-like manner, "And you call yourself a scientist? Bite your tongue!" she demanded, disgusted with him

"She is serious," Ziva told him, "If you do not, she will do it for you."

Newman stuck out his tongue and bit down on it so that Abby could see him do it, "Okay, why am I a blasphemer?"

"There's always a way!" Abby told him happily

* * *

Up in the interrogation room, Gibbs took a minute to cool off before speaking to Mason, "You're free to go for now. We may have more questions for you later, but for now, you can go home." his mouth felt dirty speaking those words

Mason stared at him in disbelief, "What? You haul me down here, accuse me of doing those God awful things to those girls, then just decide I can go?" he was relieved, but at the same time pretty pissed off, "I told you ya got the wrong guy!"

"We don't know that for sure," Gibbs uncuffed him, "We just know it was either you or Matthew."

"Matt?!" Mason's eyebrows shot through the roof, "Well now I can tell you this, that son of a bitch is who you should be lookin' at! His wife left him, he's been in jail most of the last half of his life, and is on probation." he shook his head in amazement, "Hard to believe what some people are capable of, ain't it Gunny? You think you know a guy..."

Gibbs led him out the door, "Come on, I'll drive you home." he offered, "Maybe we can grab a drink on the way?"

"Nah, my wife'd tan my hide!" he laughed, "I promised her I'd cut back." his tone sobered up a bit, more serious now, "Hey Gunny, those girls alright? I mean, they're alive, aren't they?" he could tell by the way Gibbs was acting that this case was personal. He hadn't seen Gibbs like this since Shannon and Kelley's funeral; there was more to it than he was letting on

"Well, why don't you ask them yourself?" Gibbs asked, nodding his head toward the elevator where Ziva and Abby had just stepped out. He could see them both tense a bit as they caught sight of Wes, but they didn't show any more fear than that.

Mason smiled, tipping his hat to the girls like a true gentleman, "Afternoon, ladies! You two doin' alright? I heard you two've been through hell these past few days." he offered his hand, which they reluctantly shook after a moment's hesitation, "Yeah, I know I make you nervous, and I'm not too surprised. Considering I share my DNA with the son of a bitch who hurt you gals."

"Yeah, identical twins? Jury's worst nightmare!" Abby finally spoke up, "Plus, its probably no fun for you either, getting mixed up and all. Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, sweetheart!"

She reached over and plucked a few hairs from the top of his head, causing him to flinch a bit, "There!" she smugly placed the hairs in an evidence bag, "I'll just get this to Mister 'there's just no way of knowing' and we'll just see who's who!"

Mason rubbed the top of his head, "Did I miss something here?"

"Yes, but do not worry about it. It happens quite frequently around here," Ziva assured him. It felt strange talking to him; like fraternizing with the enemy. There was still a fifty-fifty chance this was the man responsible for their attack

* * *

Abby strode confidently into her lab, "Pauly!" she called, giving him a name she knew he'd hate, "Do we have Mason's medical records?"

"No, we don't have a court order." he informed her, "And will you please not call me 'Pauly'?"

"No, Pauly works for me," she handed him the hairs in a bag, "Here, use the mass spec, find out all the drugs in the system of the pubes from the rape kit."

"What good will that do if we don't have his medical records?"

"We have the next best thing! Those are hairs which I can tell you for sure came from Wesley Mason. Compare the two drug backgrounds, see if they match! Identical twins don't take identical medications. Aspirin, vitamins, prescriptions, you're gonna find something unique to him, and to the hairs!"

Newman ran to the mass spec, preparing the hair samples as quickly as possible, "Abby, that's brilliant!"

"No, you're just slow!" she teased, "You would have thought of it eventually, but both Masons would have probably fled the country by then!"

* * *

Tony followed Ziva into her bedroom, feeling the eyes of the old Israeli resting on the couch follow him with a spiteful gaze, "Your dad really hates me. I ate a piece of pizza earlier? I tried to be nice, offered him a slice, and he gave me this look that could melt steel and said he'd never eat 'tripe' or something like that, and said I was disgusting to him."

Ziva sighed slipping between the sheets, making herself comfortable, "'Treife', it means not kosher. And no, triple meat pizza is not kosher, Tony." she knew he was trying to learn, but it wasn't fair to ask him to change his eating habits to suit her religious preferences

"Oh, come on, Ziva" he teased, "I know for a fact that you like Italian sausage, and that's not kosher!" he instantly regretted his comment, noticing the way Ziva drew the blankets around herself more tightly, "No, Ziva. I didn't mean that...I know you've been through a lot, and I'll wait until you're ready. However long that takes, I'll give you all the time you need." he promised, kissing her softly, "No pressure."

She felt a bit of weight fall off of her shoulders. At least Tony understood; that was one fear she could put to bed.

"Ziva! You have moldy food in your refrigerator!" she could hear her father yelling from the kitchen, "You are not an animal, do not life like one!"

Tony sighed, "Is there any way we can get rid of him?" he pleaded, "Please, I will do anything! I will grovel, make the bed, make every meal for the next week, month, ever! Just please, I keep thinking he's going to burst through that door at any minute and circumcise me with that knife he's always sharpening!"

Ziva laughed a bit at him. He was being a bit paranoid, but when it came to her father's fury, it was better safe than sorry, "Do you really want me to make him leave? He is here with good intentions, even if his ways of showing it are less than conventional."

"Please, Ziva?" he sat up on the bed, on his knees, begging

"Alright," she sat up, "Do you want to know how to make him go away? Far, far away?" she began to bounce a little on the bed, the springs underneath her squeaking with each bounce, "Oh, Tony! Don't stop...oh, God yes..." she moaned loudly. Tony's jaw dropped, watching Ziva's little charade. It seemed to be working; he could here movement out in the living room. "Oh, God! Tony, you're an animal! Ah, that feels so good...yes!" she screamed loudly, bouncing a little harder on the bed.

As soon as Ziva stopped, Tony heard the front door slam shut. He laughed a bit, his discomfort overshadowed by the knowledge that Director David was probably half-way across town, checking into a hotel by now. "Wow. That was...interesting." he didn't really know what to say, "So, if you make him uncomfortable enough, he just leaves?" he couldn't help but feel ecstatic over this revelation, "Good to know!"

Ziva lay back, she too was a bit relieved knowing they had the apartment to themselves again. "Yes, one would think that with his experience with Mossad, nothing would disturb him anymore. Whenever my sister and I wanted to speak privately, and our father was in the room, we would bring up the subject of tampons, and he would leave." she settled back into bed beside him

Tony pulled her into his arms, letting her snuggle contently into his chest, "Good night, Ziva." he kissed the top of her head sweetly. He closed his eyes, knowing full well that the image of Ziva's charade would fill his dreams tonight.

As he fell asleep, he heard Ziva mutter, "Sweet dreams, Tony..." he smiled knowingly. _Sweet dreams indeed!_


	18. Chapter 18

AN: I know its short, bear with me!

* * *

Ziva woke with a start, reaching first for her gun, then for the light on the nightstand. She ran to the window, drawing her robe tightly around herself. Tony tiredly stirred beside her, rubbing his eyes as he adjusted to the light, "What's wrong? Another weird dream?" he asked worriedly, "Ziva? You can put the gun down." he groaned, not really intimidated.

She hadn't even noticed where she was aiming. Immediately she lowered her weapon, pointed at Tony's head, "Sorry." she gasped, pulling back the curtains and peering out onto the streets below, "I heard something. It sounded like someone was in here." not entirely convinced they weren't alone, she wandered out into the living room, Tony at here heels

"Ziva, you have a half-dozen locks on the front door," he chuckled, "You're a fed! And who's dumb enough to break into your place? Why not just go directly to jail? Do not pass go, do not collect two-hundred dollars!"

Ziva gave him a bewildered look, clearly not following, "'Pass go'? What does that mean?"

"Nevermind." after a quick look around, he was pretty sure there was nothing out of the ordinary. A low creaking noise came from down the hall

"Did you hear it that time?" Ziva whispered, signaling for Tony to be quiet. Crouching down with her Sig in hand, she crept down the hall. "There is something or someone down there, I am sure of it!"

Down near the bathroom, the source of the noise revealed itself. The bathroom door swung lazily on its hinges, blown back and forth by the osculating fan in the hallway. Tony sighed. He didn't want to give her a hard time over it; she'd had more than her fair share of hardships lately, she didn't need to be ridiculed, "Its just the squeaky door." he assured her, leading her back to bed, "The apartment's locked up tight, your dad locked the doors when he left. We're the only ones here. Its okay, Ziva."

She felt a bit stupid, panicking over something that was completely irrational. "I am sorry Tony. I should not have woken you up over something that frivolous." she turned out the lights and drew the covers over her head, making it clear she did not want to be bothered any more.

"Hey, you didn't know." he lifted her fallen chin, forcing her to look him in the eye, "For all you knew, bin Laden could have been raiding your fridge, or using your commode! And he probably wouldn't lift the seat, either!" he knew that would get a chuckle out of her. If nothing else, her baffled look was priceless, "Come on, bed time." he drew her up into his arms, cradling her in the moonlight

They lay back on the bed together, neither one asleep yet. Ziva lay wrapped securely in the cocoon of Tony's arms, wondering how she'd gotten there, "Tony? Why are you still here?" he had no reason to. She understood that he had a life, or at least he claimed to. He had barely left her side through the whole ordeal. Why was he still by her side, keeping her company, three days later?

"Because." he told her simply. "Do I need a reason?" it was a stupid question. He could have listed any number of reasons; because she was feeling vulnerable, because he wanted her to know she was still loved, to let her know he was there to support her. But the best explanation he could give her was none at all.

* * *

Director David sat at his daughter's desk with Officer Bashan, looking through her things. He'd known the sounds coming from her bedroom were fake; she'd tried that trick before. But he knew she wanted a little time alone, and he couldn't blame her. Her desk wasn't very personal. She didn't' like to integrate her personal and professional lives. The most personal thing he found without picking the locks on her drawers was a small box, labeled "paper-clips for Tony".

To any other onlooker, the message wouldn't have made any sense. But he knew what it meant, and he was proud of her. He'd taught her well. _'That's my girl, keep him in line!" _

Gibbs strode by the desk, noticing Director David and Officer Bashan seated here, "What can I do for Mossad today?" he smiled, "Director, don't you have somewhere to be? I thought you were staying with Ziva?"

"Ziva and I do not always see heart to heart." he replied cooly

"Eye to eye," Gibbs corrected instinctively, "Ziva makes the same mistakes. Even I can't explain why English is the way it is."

"Yes. That." he ignored the comment, "She made it clear she needs some time to herself."

"You worried about her?" Gibbs probed, already knowing the answer.

"Yes and no." the old Israeli sighed, "She is a grown woman, and a very strong one at that. And this boy of hers...I do not like him, but I see goodness in him. He cares for her; I have seen the way he shepherds over her, and keeps her safe and loved. But at the same time, I know that there is only so much one can handle. She has endured so much in such a short life. I worry that I have not given her enough."

Officer Bashan handed him a folder, "Agent Gibbs, it is good to meet you in person." he shook Gibbs' hand, "How is Ziva doing? Better I pray." the last time he had seen his surrogate daughter, she was lying in the hospital, drugged, miserable and helpless.

"She's home resting. One of our best agents is keeping her company," Gibbs assured him

"The DiNozzo boy?" he asked incredulously, "If you say so, Agent Gibbs!"

"What's this?" Gibbs held up the folder, sealed and labeled as classified

"Medical records for both Matthew and Wesley Mason." Director David beamed, "I think you need to rethink your case a bit, Agent Gibbs!"


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I have no idea how realistic this is going to turn out, so hopefully its good. If not, its fiction, live with it.

* * *

Tony peered carefully around the corner, making sure the coast was clear. The lab was empty, save for Abby's temp and McGee. Relived, he darted inside, "McGee! Guess what?" he asked, "You're staying with Ziva today. Just keep her company, make sure she doesn't kill our suspect; believe me, she wants to."

McGee suspiciously eyed Tony, "Why? You insisted on driving her home, looking after her, and staying with her. Why the change of heart?" he knew that he had initially been the one to promise to do all those things, but Tony had willingly relieved him of duty

"Because, Probie." Tony patted his back supportively, "You owe me a favor from when I warned you Gibbs was coming while you were playing World of Warcraft on your computer." he had a feeling that Tony would call him on that sooner or later

"Okay...that doesn't explain why you want me to do it." McGee was growing more and more wary by the second

"Um, does this have anything to do with the comment you made earlier about Ziva's 'time of the month' being mentioned in the book of 'Revelations'?" Newman interjected

McGee turned to Tony, completely mortified, "No! No way!" he walked away quickly, "The only thing more dangerous than Ziva is a pissed Ziva. The only thing more dangerous than a pissed Ziva is a hormonal, emotional train wreck Ziva."

Tony sighed, "Yeah, I know. I was there! What's even worse is she has a migraine on top of that, so she's bloated, bitchy, and in too much pain to care about the consequences in case she does something to you! I can still feel the imprint of her foot on my ass!" he couldn't really be upset with her over something she had no control over. She was going through a lot right now, and he needed to be supportive, not judgmental.

"What did you say or do this time?"

Tony shifted uncomfortably, "She was trying to get dressed, and couldn't fit into her jeans. I asked her if she needed some help and...it kinda went downhill from there." he didn't want to get into more detail, or to reveal to McGee that he'd gotten his ass thoroughly kicked by an irate Ziva

"Ask the Director," McGee suggested, "Or maybe she and Abby can get together, watch a movie or something."

"Nah," Tony dismissed the idea entirely. The Director was far too busy, and Abby was still on bed rest. Besides, he'd tried all week to get Ziva to relax and watch a movie, but she refused each time, "I guess its my cross to bear."

* * *

Tony made a quick side trip down to Autopsy, where he found Ducky up to his armpits in what he assumed to be another meat puzzle, "Um, you know what? I'll come back later!" he turned away, nauseated

"Nonsense, Tony!" Ducky insisted, "This, thankfully is not another one of our macabre cases. It happens to be a _real_ meat puzzle. It is a training tool, one which I thought Mister Palmer could use. Each piece is made of synthetic materials, though quite realistic, as you can see!" he handed Tony what appeared to be a severed toe, "Now, what is is you needed?"

"Ziva's flipping out," he sighed, "I pissed her off, and she's a bit...hormonal." he placed the toe back on the pile with the other pieces, a bit less disturbed. But only a bit.

"Ah," Ducky nodded knowingly, "So what is it you need?"

"I was kind of wondering if you had any advice? How long is this gonna go on? Do I need to find the nearest bomb shelter and hole up for a few days?" he was only joking slightly, "She's got a migraine, plus she's PMSing. Is it normal for her to be so...bitchy?"

Ducky chuckled warmly, "Anthony, for one who's reputation with the ladies precedes him, you have a lot to learn about women." he handed Tony a bottle from a cabinet on his desk, "While the bomb shelter idea is good to have as a last resort, try this first."

"You want me to drug her?" Tony asked incredulously, "Do you _want_ my balls as part of your puzzle?!"

"No, no," Ducky laughed, "The poor girl is probably just in pain. Between her migraine, cramps, and the obvious discomfort she was in from...shall we say, recent events, she is most likely feeling quite miserable. Give her one of these to start, two an hour later if it is needed. They may make her a bit dizzy, so keep an eye on her." his eyes gleamed knowingly, "Not that that should be a problem for you."

* * *

Gibbs flipped through the files, "Can you give me the Cliffnotes version here?" there had to be a lifetime's worth of documents on each person. It would take days to go through it all.

"Your Wesley Mason, he served in Iraq, yes?" Bashan asked, flipping to the right page for Gibbs, "He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after he was discharged."

Gibbs nodded, holding the page an arm's length away so he could read it, "Yeah, so was I, and about a thousand others. That doesn't mean much."

Director David eyed him, "_You_ were a healthy, normal man. Wesley Mason however was not. During treatment for PTSD, his specialist noted irrational behavior at times. He was also forgetful, distant, and seemed distracted. He was also diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder, stemming back years. He had been on and off anti-depressants most of his life."

"On the one hand, there was the calm, rational, noble soldier you served with. A man who was willing to give everything for his country, a devoted husband and father. But on the other hand there was an irrational, depressed, mentally unstable psychopath!" Bashan handed Gibbs a rather lengthy list of medications, "he is not a mentally stable person, Agent Gibbs. He does not honestly believe himself to be the man you are looking for, because he isn't. His other half is."

"Like a Jekel and Hyde thing?" Gibbs asked, "Are you sure about this? Will any of this hold up in court?"

"It will," Director David insisted, "The man recently lost his wife of twenty years, Agent Gibbs. If you think about it, it is possible that such a traumatic event triggered this lapse of control."

"Okay, what about the hair from his brother's wife?" Gibbs asked, a bit disturbed by the whole thing

Bashan pulled out a third folder, "It turns out, that she was being treated for chlamydia a few weeks ago. At the same time as Wesley Mason. A year earlier, they were both being treated for syphilis as well." he handed Gibbs a written statement, "I spoke with her. Apparently, she did not know the man she had slept with was not her husband. He claimed to be an only child."

Paul Newman ran down the corridor, nearly colliding with the three men, "Agent Gibbs! I found and identified the medications in those hairs. I found-"

"The hairs matched Wesley Mason's, and contained traces of anti-depressants and other psycho drugs." Gibbs interjected, "I know. McGee?!" he called loudly

McGee ran up from his desk, "Yeah, boss?"

"Get the car!" he tossed him the keys, "Let's go get him!"

* * *

Tony knocked on the door to Ziva's apartment, hoping she'd let him in. They'd argued over something so stupid, he just wished they could put it behind them. When he heard no answer, he picked the lock, letting himself inside, "Ziva?" he called, searching the apartment for her, "You still here?" he'd seen her car parked out front, but she may have gone for a run.

He finally found her in her bedroom, laying on the bed in tears. He didn't say anything, he just sat down beside her, letting her come to him. She wrapped her arms around him, "I am sorry I snapped at you, Tony." she whimpered, "You were only trying to help."

He sighed. This was going to be a long week, "Its okay," he assured her. He really wasn't upset with her. At least not any more, "You know what else helps?"

She shook her head, laying her head on his broad shoulders, "No, what?" she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Tony's methods were unconventional to say the least, usually resulting in a smack to the head.

"The one thing that can solve all of life's little problems," he offered her a slightly crumpled paper bag from his pocket. He'd taken some advice from Abby, "I figured it might make you feel better. Can't hurt, right?"

"Chocolate?" she unwrapped one of the truffles, one of over a dozen candies, taking a small bite, "You will have to help me eat all of these." she insisted, "I already cannot fit into my pants, as you were so quick to point out."

"Hey, those are yours." he refused her offer, as tempting as it was, "Besides, you aren't fat, and you never have been. If you were, I couldn't do this!" he picked her up, in spite of her protests, carrying her over into the living room and dropping her gently onto the couch. He handed her the bottle of medicine he'd received from Ducky, "Ducky said those would make you feel better; help with your..." he thought carefully about what to say, not wanting to make the situation worse, "headache. Whaddaya say? Want to stay in and watch cheesy old movies? Maybe eat some pizza and chocolate?" he offered

She rolled her eyes, walking into her room. She rummaged through her drawers and pulled out a pair of floppy sweatpants. "You will be needing those!" she teased, tossing them to Tony

"Look who's talking!" he countered, immediately regretting that statement. He quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding the book tossed at his head, "Sorry, sorry!"


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I know, I update some fics faster than others, and you probably hate me for it. I'm trying to finish up this one and a couple others within the next few weeks, to make my life a bit easier. But I will post new ones! I've already got some ideas!

Sorry if there's any spelling/grammatical errors. Its 103 degrees right now (97 in our house!) and the humidity is 60, so my brain's kinda fried.

* * *

Almost half-way through the movie, _The Wizard of Oz_ dubbed in Hebrew, Tony was nearly asleep. There were no subtitles, and it had been years since Tony had seen it in English, so every so often he would ask her to fill him in. At times it was a real nail-biter. And unfortunately munchkins were still annoying no matter what language they were dubbed in. Ziva lasted a bit longer than Tony, nodding off once they reached the Emerald City. She'd seen this movie countless times, and couldn't focus on it.

A sharp rapping at the door woke them up. "Probably your dad, wanting back in." Tony supposed, "I'll get it." he rolled Ziva off of him and went to answer the door. While he really would rather let Director David sit in the hallway for the next hour or so, he'd probably just pick the lock. _Then_ kick Tony's ass.

He peeked through the peephole, having to look twice, not believing his eyes, "Who is it?" Ziva yawned, forcing herself to sit up

"Nuns," he answered casually, opening the door a crack, "Can I help you?"

Out in the hallway, there were a half-dozen nuns congregated outside Ziva's apartment. They smiled cheerily at Tony, who was a bit perplexed. One of the women spoke for the group, "Is Ziva here?"

"Um, yeah...who do I say is asking?" this wasn't how he'd expected to spend his Monday afternoon

"Oh, how rude of us!" she turned around to here sisters, "This is Sister Mary, Sister Heather, Sister Marilynne, and Sister Margarette. I am Sister Cathrine. Pleased to meet you...what is your name, young man?"

"Tony," he answered simply, "Ziva? The nuns want you! I think they might want to do an exorcism, so be careful!" he teased. Off the nuns' confused looks he told them, "She's a bit hormonal, kinda crabby. Do you guys do exorcisms? Can I keep you guys on retainer?"

Tony couldn't duck fast enough to avoid the blow to the back of his head, "Go sit down!" Ziva ordered, none too gently, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Sister Cathrine nodded, "I'm afraid that I don't come bearing the best of news. You know Abigail Scuitto, do you not?"

"Yes, is she alright?" the last Ziva knew, Abby was at home, on bed rest.

"Well, then I don't need to explain to you that the girl is a bit difficult." she turned to the hallway, where another nun was helping a limping Abby down the corridor, "She said that she would be fine for tonight's league night, as long as she used her other arm. Apparently, that wasn't the case."

Abby waved, with little enthusiasm. She looked drained and tired, barely making it to the door, "Hey, thanks guys!" she said goodbye to her friends, giving each a quick hug before they departed, "We're still on for next Tuesday, right?"

"Abby!" Ziva ran over to her, helping her inside her home, "What were you thinking? You are still supposed to be in bed, getting better. Not hurting yourself further!" she scolded, "Tony, go and get Abby some ice!" she told him

"Ziva, I'm okay," she insisted, "I just pulled my side -not the one that got stabbed!" she added seeing Ziva's worried expression, "It just is a bit sore, I'm tired, and your place was closest to the alley. You're not busy or anything, are you?"

"Nah, we're watching a thrilling Hebraic version of _The Wizard of Oz_," Tony filled her in, handing her some ice, "I wonder if the Tin Man is gonna start singing _If I Were a Rich Man? _Wanna watch?"

"Sure," Abby shrugged, "I'm here, aren't I?"

Ziva helped Abby over to the couch, "I will call Ducky. Hopefully, he can look at you, and make sure you are alright."

* * *

Ducky arrived within the hour. He was more than willing to come and take a look. Ziva and Tony had insisted that Abby lay down in Ziva's room until he'd seen her. "Abigail, haven't you endured enough woes?" he teased, "You had to go out and hurt yourself again, just to worry us? What were you thinking?"

"Sorry, Duck," Abby sighed, "I guess I pushed it a bit hard." she hated it when Ducky scolded her, but knew he meant well, and was only concerned with her well being.

He didn't take too long to check her over. His poking and prodding didn't help much. It was just a pulled muscle, an ailment that would alleviate itself soon enough. "You're going to be fine, dear. And that wound of yours is healing nicely. I can take the stitches out later in the week if you'd like. If you ask her, I'm sure Ziva has some Tylenol laying about somewhere?"

"Thanks, Ducky!" she stood up and locked arms with him, trying to skip along, but the nagging pain in her side made her rethink it, "Okay, let's just walk...walking's good."

"Not just yet," he rummaged thought his bag and handed her a sucker, "For being a good patient!"

* * *

Abby peered out into the living room before walking in, surveying the damage. While she was in with Ducky, she'd heard several arguments break out; over something stupid, she was sure. She didn't hear anything; that meant that either they were done fighting, or Ziva snapped and killed Tony and would probably kill her too in order to dispose of witnesses.

They weren't anywhere to be seen. It seemed a bit strange. Maybe Ziva _did_ kill Tony? Abby walked through the apartment cautiously, stopping in the kitchen when she saw a few gravitational blood drops on the floor, "Hey, anybody home?" she called, "Tony? Ziva?"

"Here." a calm voice said from behind her. Ziva stood a few feet behind her, holding a bloody knife. Abby screamed in terror, "Abby! What is wrong?" she put the knife down on the kitchen counter

"You killed Tony!" Abby accused, shaking and staring at the knife

Ziva chuckled darkly, "No, as tempting as it is at times, I did not kill him." she went over to the sink, washing her hands clean of the blood, "Gibbs called, and said he needed him to come in."

"Oh...um, what's with the knife? And the blood?"

"Ah," she showed Abby her hands, where there was a short but deep cut along her hand, "I was cutting some leftover pizza." she gestured to the lukewarm pizza on the counter, "I would not touch it now if I were you. I do not think any of my blood got on it, but I cannot say for sure."

Abby was a bit skeptical of Ziva's story, "You? You cut yourself with one of your own knives?"

"Yes," Ziva sighed, "Tony gave me some pills he got from Ducky, and I actually took them! Ever since, I have been dizzy and tired. So yes, I cut myself. And yes, it was stupid!" she pressed a paper towel against the cut, letting it thirstily absorb the blood

"Oh, sorry," she threw out the contaminated pizza, "Do you want me to patch that up? Its still bleeding pretty fast." she pulled the paper towel away from the wound, taking a quick look, "You might even need stitches...hm, Ducky?" she called, not knowing if he had left yet or not

Apparently, he was still loitering, "Yes Abby?" he walked into the kitchen, "Everything alright?" he noticed the way Ziva was cradling her left hand, "Ziva, what have you gone and done now?" he held her hand in a gentle but firm grip, and carefully pried her fingers away, revealing the little wound, "How did you manage that?"

"I was stupid Ducky," she groaned, "Is that what you want to hear?"

"No one could ever accuse you of being stupid," he promised her, "You're a very intelligent young woman. A little accident every so often does not constitute stupidity." he critically examined the cut, "Considering where it is, I doubt a bandage would stay on very well. I think that stitches would be wise." he led her over to the kitchen table, chivalrously sliding out a chair for her, "Abby, go and fetch my bag and try to find a first aid kit. Do you have one, Ziva?"

She shook her head, "I do not think so. Everything I have like that is in the drawer over there," she pointed to the one nearest to Ducky

"A bottle of Aspirin, a box of bandages, and some hydrogen peroxide hardly constitutes a medicine cabinet." he took the bag that Abby had retrieved, "The analgesic I suggested you take is in that drawer dear."

Abby took a couple of Aspirin, "Is the cut that bad?"

"No, but it does require a bit of care so it will not become infected," he carefully began stitching her palm, "Now, most of the patients I see do not complain about my stitching, but if I hit a nerve, or if it becomes too uncomfortable, let me know." it took less than five minutes for Ducky to stitch it up. However it needed ten stitches to close, or at least it would have for any other medical professional. Ducky managed to fit fifteen tiny sutures along the wound. "There we are, all done dear."

"Thank you, Ducky," Ziva flexed her hand a bit, getting used to the feel of the sutures

"I will take those out for you in a week or so," he packed up his supplies, "Until then, please try not to hurt yourself! I've seen enough of you girls' blood to last a lifetime."

"We'll be good!" Abby swore, her fingers crossed behind her back

As Ducky was preparing to leave, the sound of Bon Jovi's _You Give Love a Bad Name _came from his pocket. "Gibbs," he said by means of explanation, seeing Abby and Ziva's baffled expressions. The nodded in understanding. Ducky reluctantly picked up, knowing full well that Gibbs was in a bad mood, "Yes, Jethro?"

"_Hey Duck!" _Gibbs sounded weary, on edge and just a bit pissed, "_We got a body for ya!"_


	21. Chapter 21

AN: This is officially my longest fic yet! I'll have another chapter or two, to tie up any loose ends. Thanks to all who've reviewed so far (105 at the moment)! Especially VivaZiva, M E Wofford, Cable Addict, and balou who've reviewed every chapter! I'm sure there are more of you who've reviewed them all, but those are the one's I know of off the top of my head. Its wonderful to know that people read and actually _like _my work! I started writing fanfiction mostly as a sort of "screw you" to my old teacher who called my work "bland and unimaginative". Hey, my reviews beg to differ! If you're reading this Mr. Mills, take your damn red pen and stick it!

* * *

Ducky walked through the parking lot of the now all too familiar Green Dragon Tavern. Out front, he could see McGee, Tony and Gibbs standing over the dead body of Wesley Mason. As he approached, he noticed the man's body had been struck by no fewer than a dozen bullets, most of which were in the chest, with one in the head, directly between the eyes, "Well, my boy. I think that its safe to say that someone wanted you dead."

Tony crouched down, getting a closer look, "Yep. Turned him into swiss head cheese," he received a slap to the head, "Too far, boss?"

"Ya think!" as much as he'd come to despise his former comrade, Gibbs wouldn't let Tony speak ill of the dead, especially when he knew that this wasn't really Mason's fault. Wes left behind a wife and two sons, and there was nothing funny about that.

"I suppose that the only question here is who had the...shall we say testicular fortitude to pull the trigger?" he looked around at the three agents, eyebrows raised, "All three of you have just cause for wanting him dead. Jethro for what he did to you surrogate daughters, Timothy for the pain he caused your dear girl and the brutal crime he committed against a beloved friend, and Anthony because he violated your lover. Now the only question is who had the satisfaction of killing this bastard?" no one said anything, "Oh, come now! One way or another I will find out who did this, so why not just come out and say it!"

"That's just the thing, Duck," McGee tried to explain, "He was dead when we got here."

"Really?" he looked down at the corpse, "It would appear that there was more than one shooter. There are at least a dozen rounds in this fellow! Whoever did this did not just want him dead. He or she wanted him annihilated." he took the liver temperature, "Are you sure that none of you were here at the time of his death? He died within the hour."

"Ducky, we've only been here half an hour," Tony insisted, "We got here, and he wasn't there. We went in to look for him, didn't find him. When we came out, there he was."

* * *

Ziva hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until she was awoken by a sharp rapping on her front door. Taking a second to wake up a bit, she stumbled tiredly to the door, where Abby was already checking to see who it was. "Who is there, Abby?"

"Some old guy," Abby, as tall as she was even without the four inch heels, had to bend over to see into the peephole, "He doesn't look very friendly, but in a Gibbsish kinda way!"

Confused, Ziva gently pushed Abby aside to look. From the other side of the door, a voice called, "_Zivaleh, open the door_!" reluctantly, she opened the door, letting her father into the apartment, "_I got a bit worried when you did not answer the door right away_."

"_Sorry, I was sleeping,"_ she immediately switched to her native tongue before seeing Abby's baffled look, "Sorry, Abby. It would probably be better to use English, Aba."

Abby looked at the two Israelis, almost in awe, "What was that? It sounds so...weird, but cool. I mean, I've always loved the word 'Channukah', because you have to sort of hack a loogie when you say it, but there's a whole language that's like that! You gotta teach me!"

Director David eyed Abby, not quite sure what to think of her. Her Gothic attire, assertive attitude, and pigtails were certainly quite a change from the rather conservative Middle East. "Hello...and you are?" his hand instinctively went to the knife at his waist. Ziva's keen eyes didn't miss his subtle move to the defensive, and her hand covered her fathers, and the look in her eyes told him to settle down a bit, "Sorry, what is your name?"

"I'm Abby Scutitto, who the hell are you?" she asked sweetly, extending her hand in greeting

The old Israeli chuckled a bit at her, "I like this one! She has kutzpah!" he told his daughter

"'Kutzpah', is that a good thing?" she asked Ziva

"It basically means that you have balls, Abby." Ziva explained, trying to find an appropriate English equivalent, "This is my father, Benjamin David." she introduced them, grateful that there was now only a small chance that they would kill each other

"Sweet!" Abby cried triumphantly

* * *

Gibbs walked briskly into Autopsy, Tony following at his heels, "Tell me you've got something, Duck!" he could tell by looking at the body that Ducky was nearly finished

"Well, Jethro, its the strangest thing!" Ducky walked over to the x-rays, displayed on the wall, "Take a look here, what do you see?"

"A body?" Gibbs suggested, "There's nothing wrong that I can see. What are you trying to tell me, Ducky? That there's no bullets?"

"Precisely!" Ducky smiled, "Ordinarily, one would see bullets, of which there are at least a dozen. However, there are not bullets in this man's body!"

"Magic bullet. Very James Bond," Tony noted in his best Bond accent

"I've heard of people policing their brass, but the bullets?" Gibbs walked over to the body, examining it for himself, "Seems like a bit too much trouble for most people."

"One would think so, yes," Ducky wheeled the body into storage, "Why waste the time, and take the effort? The one in the skull was a through and through, likely the kill shot. However it has not turned up at the scene thus far."

"Whoever did it knew what they were doing," Gibbs noted, "Used a silencer, outside a packed bar, when no one was outside to witness, this could have been a professional hit." he had a moment of realization, knowing full well who killed this man

"I think I know who, boss." Tony smirked

* * *

Abby sat in the kitchen with Ziva and her father, waiting patiently while they prepared dinner. Ziva was a wonderful cook, and she was looking forward to the meal, but she was also feeling a bit useless, sitting there doing nothing, "Do you guys want any help with anything?" she offered

"No, we are almost done," Ziva assured her, "However, if you would like, you may slice the loaf of French bread in the cupboard." she tried to give Abby an easy task, not wanting to cause her too much stress in her current health

"Sure," Abby sighed, growing tired of being sheltered. She began randomly pulling out drawers, looking for knives. She was a bit surprised at how long it was taking to find them. She'd expected there to be a dozen or more in Ziva's kitchen, not counting the ones used for food. "Hey, Ziva? Why do you have two knife drawers? Does it matter which one I use?"

Ziva found a suitable knife for her, "For bread, no it does not matter. This one will work fine."

"My daughter may not be very religious, but thankfully she keeps a kosher kitchen," Director David handed Abby a bowl of ravioli, "One drawer is for knives that touch meat, the other is for knives that touch anything with dairy."

"Wow, that's a bit anal," Abby closed up the half-dozen drawers and cupboards she'd open, "I'd probably go crazy if I were Jewish. No bacon, no cheeseburgers, no...oh, my God! Ziva!" she gasped, "you've never had lobster!"

Ziva laughed a bit, "No, but I do not know what I am missing. So I do not dwell on it too much."

"Save any for me?" Tony walked into the kitchen, sniffing the pot on the stove, "Smells good!" the girls smiled welcomingly, while Director David glared at him

Abby stood and ran to greet him, "Hi, Tony! What did Gibbs want?" she hugged him briefly before dishing him up a bowl, needing to make herself feel useful

"Well, someone beat us to it," he explained sitting down at the table. Ziva handed him a slice of bread. As he took it from her, he noticed the stitches on the underside of her hand. He reached for her hand, worriedly looking it over, his fingertips running lightly over the cut, "What did you do?" he gave her palm a little kiss, "Haven't you been through enough?"

"Sorry, it was from your pizza, therefor it was your fault," she blushed a bit, both from the display of affection and the deadly glare she was receiving from her father from across the table, "Now what were you saying?"

"We found Wesley Mason, shot dead outside the bar," Tony continued, keeping his eyes glued on the older, but still obviously very capable Mossad Officer, "Seems he was shot, using a silencer, then the guy policed the bullets and brass. Over a dozen rounds in him."

"Whoa, talk about overkill!" Abby commented

"No such thing," Ziva smirked, "I personally think it is just enough kill."

"Any leads?" Director David asked innocently, "You _were_ sure that he was the one responsible for the crimes against these girls, yes? Do you know who killed him?"

"I've got a hunch." Tony told him knowingly


	22. Chapter 22

McGee stood precariously perched on top of a ladder, trying to reach the security camera overlooking the parking lot, "Tony, hold it still!" he clung to the rungs for dear life as the ladder swayed slightly. He guessed it was a combination of the slight breeze picking up, the uneven pavement, and Tony's negligence. Looking about fifteen feet down, he could see Tony fiddling with his cell phone

"It is still, McWobble," Tony called up to him, "You're the one who's shaking!"

McGee finally reached the camera, only to find that it too had been shot. It was barely intact, and there was no possible way it could function, "Got it. Unfortunately, someone else did too though."

"McGee!" Gibbs shouted at him from the pavement, "You got that camera yet?"

"Yeah boss, not that it will do us much good! It was shot right through the lens! Whoever did this was a hell of a shot!" he turned to Tony, "You sure Ziva's been at home all day?"

"Positive, Probie!" Tony could easily picture Ziva doing something like this, but at least this time she wasn't the one responsible

* * *

Director David stood in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom, peeking in carefully, in case she was already asleep. Sure enough, Ziva was laying on top of the covers, still fully dressed, face down in her pillows. Sighing, he walked in, his silent footfalls going unnoticed. He gently rolled her over onto her back, trying to keep her from smothering herself in her sleep. He pried off her shoes and socks, trying to make her more comfortable, "_How can you sleep like this, child?" _he whispered to her

After quite a bit of creativity and patience, he eventually had her stripped down to her t-shirt and underwear. Pulling back the sheets, he tucked her in comfortably, "_There we are, much better."_

"It was you, wasn't it?" Tony asked him, standing in the doorway watching

The older man approached him, a slight smirk on his face, "If you had any proof of that, your Director would already have me in a cell."

"I don't know about that," Tony didn't know the details, but he did know the Jen and Ziva went through Eastern Europe together, and that Ziva had saved Jen's life in Cairo. If anything, Jen would have been the one to pull the trigger if given the chance, "I'm going with my gut here," he explained, taking a leaf out of Gibb's book, "By the way, a bullet from a Jericho 9mm was found in the security camera in the parking lot." he handed the Director an evidence bag containing a bullet

"I see," he sighed, "I am getting clumsy in my old age I suppose." he pocketed the bullet and sat down on the edge of Ziva's bed, giving her a soft peck on her cheek

"She looks almost peaceful, doesn't she? Or at least as close to it as she ever gets," Tony pointed out

"She is all I have left," he told Tony sadly, "My bride, my sons, my youngest daughter, all gone. She is the only thing I have left in this life."

"I think she mentioned an uncle?"

The Director snorted contemptuously, "Hershel was my bride's brother. I have no relation to him, and he believes that my work was the reason for Hannah's death. In his will, he has left everything he has to Ziva."

Tony crouched down near the nightstand, checking to make sure Ziva had been taking her medications. For once, she was obeying the doctor's orders, "She's pretty out of it right now. Pain meds." he explained.

"I suppose it is for the best though, yes?" he ran his fingertips through Ziva's hair, "She hates to take them; if she is taking them willingly, she must be quite miserable. Watch over her for me. She tends to neglect herself."

"I'll take good care of her," Tony promised

* * *

After Ziva's father had left, Tony slipped beneath the covers beside Ziva. She didn't move, or seem to notice his presence at all. This worried him a bit, "Hey, Ziva. Long day, huh?" it was now nearly midnight, but it felt like he'd been awake for days

She peeked her eyes open, "Very long." she sat up a bit, reclining on the pillows, not trusting that in her current state she would be able to sit or stand without passing out, "Any news?" she finally gave up reclining, instead laying her head on Tony's chest while he lay almost asleep

"Yeah, Mason's funeral is next week," he told her, "We're invited; or at least Gibbs is, and he's extending the invitation to us."

"I don't think I can, Tony," she told him honestly, in a rare moment admitting personal doubt and weakness. She knew that Mason was once a close friend of Gibbs', and she wanted to be there for him, but at the same time it was just too much

"Don't worry about it. No one expects you to, not after what he did to you." he tried to change the subject, "Hey, need some cheering up?" he picked up his phone, showing her a couple of pictures. The first was of McGee clinging to the ladder for dear life, the other was of McGee, still on the ladder, trying to fix a wedgie.

"Tony, one of these days, he will get even with you." she fought hard, and eventually overcame the urge to laugh at poor McGee

"Yeah, 'Revenge of the Nerds'." he chuckled

* * *

An annoying beeping filled the living room from the intercom station on the wall, sounding every few seconds. Ziva looked over at Tony expectantly. He quickly swallowed his mouthful of eggs, "I guess you want me to get that?"

He went to the intercom, and pressed the button allowing communication, "Hello?"

"_Um, hi Tony," _it was McGee, "_Can you unlock the front doors? I can't get into the building!"_

"It is a new security feature," Ziva explained, "The manager had it installed after a series of robberies last month."

"Did you lose anything?" Tony asked worriedly

"Yes, for some reason of all the things I have in my apartment, they decided to steal a toaster!"

Tony nibbled at his toast, "That's why you make it in the broiler? Huh, did they catch them yet?"

"No, I do not think so," Ziva walked over to the intercom, "I suppose you want to come in, McGee?"

"_Yeah, that would be nice," _McGee sounded a bit anxious and nervous, "_Hey, Ziva? Are the guard dogs a new security thing too?"_

Tony was grinning from eat to ear, "Yes, Probie! They have an acquired taste for human blood. But in order to get past, you must first answer three questions...to prove that you are worthy! Number one-"

"_Ziva already unlocked it, Tony."_

* * *

"What was it you needed, McGee?" Ziva asked, offering him a seat on the couch

He sat down, checking for any surprises Tony may have left for him, making sure there were no whoopie-cushions under the pillows, "Director Shepherd asked me to first of all, see how you were doing, and second, let you know that you can come back to work as soon as you feel up to it."

Ziva breathed a sigh of relief. She was going crazy, held captive in her own home. What she wouldn't give for a little excitement. "I am glad, but why did you come all the way up here to tell me that?"

"Because McGoogle has no life. I think he has a _Second Life _though." Tony jeered. A few months ago, McGee had forgotten to sign out of his computer while he went to the head. During his brief absence, Tony managed to dig up months worth of dirt on him to give him hell.

"Actually, the reason I came here is to give you guys something," he handed Tony a stack of papers, "Gibbs says the two of you are falling behind." he felt warm and tingly inside, giving Tony what he had coming, "And since Ducky says that Ziva is still in too much pain to focus enough to fill them out right, guess who gets to do her paperwork?"

Tony flipped though the stack in shock, "There's like a month's worth of work, just from her!"

"Well, having a suspect turn up dead tends to create more paperwork," McGee gave Tony a supportive pat on the shoulder, "Gibbs wants those by Friday." he added

"Its Wednesday!" Tony was about to throttle the nerd, and the black tie around his neck made it all the more tempting

"Better get on it then, huh?" he turned to Ziva, "It looks like you're feeling a bit better. No matter how much he begs or whines, don't help him." he whispered in Ziva's ear, "_Punishment for breaking rules 1 and 12."_

"Never screw your partner, and no relationships between co-workers, yes?"

"Screw _over_, Ziva!" Tony corrected hastily

Ziva whispered softly in Tony's ear, "We shall see."

McGee shifted uncomfortably, "You know what? I should probably get going. See you guys...whenever you feel up to it. Ziva, take care of yourself, get some rest. Gibbs is hoping you'll be back by Monday. Tony," he sighed, relishing the moment, "Good luck!"

Tony placed the stack of forms on the table, "I told you! 'Revenge of the Nerds'!"

* * *

AN: Nearly done! And I have over 110 reviews! Rating might change on the next chapter...I've had several PM requests for sex scenes. You guys okay with that? Keep in mind, my nickname at school is 'perma-virgin', so don't expect accuracy or well...I don't know. We'll see how it goes. I might pose 2 versions, an M and a T version.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Here we go! Its done! Whoohoo! Thanks again to all who've reviewed. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it seemed a bit short and cheesy to me, but hopefully it works out okay.

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Sitting at the kitchen table, Tony was busily filling out the numerous forms Gibbs needed in six hours. He should have known better than to have put them off until the last minute, but he didn't mind the rush; it actually helped him work, knowing he was under pressure. He sighed, getting up for his third cup of coffee of the night. Ziva had made a pot for him after he'd told her he hadn't started the paperwork yet. He'd asked her to make it strong, knowing he would need it for the task ahead, but the brew she'd made was strong enough to peel the paint off of a car.

From down the hall, he could faintly hear music playing, _"Fly me to the moon..."_

"_Sinatra?" _Tony turned his head around, wondering where it was coming from. Who was playing music at two in the morning?

"Tony, are you done with those yet? Why don't you come to bed, and finish in the morning?" Ziva stood behind him. He didn't know how she'd managed to creep up behind him without him noticing, but she was good at it. After a while, it didn't' even make him jump anymore; he was always expecting it.

"No, I've just got a few more," he sat back down, trying to ignore her. Her offer was tempting, but he knew if he put it off any longer, he wouldn't finish, "Besides, it technically is morning."

She placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them gently, "Why did you not start them Wednesday? Then you would not be in this gourd."

Tony groaned, leaning into her touch, "'Pickle', Ziva. The phrase is 'in this pickle'." he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Ziva's roaming fingers in on his neck, "What are you doing awake still? You've had a rough week, you should try to get some rest."

"I could not sleep," she purred in his ear, "How much do you have left? Are you sure it cannot wait until morning?"

"Ziva..." he shifted in his seat, "I have work to do!" as tempting as a romantic evening was, he one- had work to be done, and two- didn't want to force Ziva into anything she wasn't ready for. Even though she was the one practically begging, he didn't want to pressure her, "Look, go get some sleep. I'll be down once I'm done."

She walked around the round kitchen table, letting him get a glimpse of what she was wearing, or rather not wearing. "Are you sure, Tony?" the only thing covering her lithe body was a tiny black negligee and stilettos, "The forms will be there tomorrow."

Sighing, Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly, knowing full well what he was about to give up, "Do you have any idea what you're doing to my concentration?"

She leaned across the table, looking down at the tent in his lap, "Yes, I have a fairly good idea." she grinned wickedly

"Ziva, no!" he shouted, "My answer is no!"

A bit taken aback, she stepped away from him, "What is wrong? For the past week, you have barely looked me in the eye. You no longer watch my backside as I walk away, or call me 'sweetcheeks'. In fact you barely even speak to me at all! Are you that disgusted with me? Am I tainted now?" tears were now flowing down her face, leaving black lines on her cheeks, "Why are you afraid of touching me? Do you not want me anymore?"

Tony walked up to her, gently wrapping her in his arms, "I would _never _think that about you!" he promised, "I just don't want to hurt you, or make you feel like its too soon, you know? I was trying to be a gentleman and not push, not make you feel unloved." he stood there with her for a moment, rocking her in his arms, "You know what? The paperwork'll be there tomorrow. Gibbs be damned!"

he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her off down the hall. The corridor was lined with rose petals, leading up to the bedroom door. He pushed open the door, and started to sing along with the next song, "_Luck be a lady tonight! Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with..."_

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"...we commend Wesley's body to the Earth. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." the priest solemnly spoke, presiding over the burial. The cemetery was calm and quiet, without as much as a breeze rustling the trees, as if nature itself were paying tribute to a once great war veteran.

Gibbs looked around, feeling a bit out of place. Standing right by the grave were Mason's wife and sons. Her youngest, a boy of about ten, was playing a game boy. Once his mother noticed what he was doing, she took it from him. Gibbs approached them, "Its been a long time, Kendra!" he toussled the boy's hair, "How are you holding up?"

She smiled, giving him a warm hug, "Jethro Gibbs! If you aren't a sight for sore eyes!" she fixed her son's hair, "I'm okay, or as okay as I'll ever be." she placed a rose on her husband's casket, "I just don't believe it! He was gunned down, all because of some gang war? He was an innocent bystander, he didn't deserve that." she was nearly in tears by now, and Gibbs placed a comforting hand on her shoulder

"No, no he didn't," Gibbs placed a flower on the grave as well, "I always knew that stubborn old soldier would go down in a blaze of glory. Didn't think it would be like that. From what I heard, he died protecting two women, Ziva David and Abby Scuitto." though he knew Wesley would have hated him for lying to his widow, it seemed to be for the best. What was he supposed to do? Tell the grieving family that he had been a mentally unstable man who assaulted and raped two women during his last week on Earth?

"He died a hero," Kendra agreed

"Are you 'gunny'?" one of the older boys asked, "Dad used to tell us stories about this guy, he called him gunny. About how they fought together in Afghanistan, getting into all sorts of trouble, killing terrorists, all sorts of cool stuff. He said that gunny could say a lot without saying a thing, and he slapped people a lot too."

"You're dad said that?" Gibbs asked, smirking. He smacked the back of the kid's head, "What do you think?"

"Nice to meet you gunny!" he replied, shaking Gibbs' hand, "Dad'd never forgive me if I didn't say 'Semper Fi'!"

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AN: Review? Its that little purplish blue button that says "Submit Review". Down...left...there! Now click!

There is no 'love scene' in here, but if enough people ask, I may write one to appease you all, and post it as a one shot.


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